Wandering Stars
by seoulbeats
Summary: [P3/P5 AU] Perhaps it's a twist of luck or pull of fate that led her here, but she knew better than that. The game has changed and new players have entered the ring. Distortion and corruption continue to grow and the spirit of rebellion still sings louder than ever, but would the outcome of the game still remain the same?
1. Fate Intertwined

**I: Fate Intertwined**

How long had it been since she was chained to keep the world's ruin at bay? She couldn't tell. Time flowed differently from where she was held captive—sluggish, distorted, out of loop, unlike from where the seasons passed like clockwork in the realm above. That kind of clockwork was a funny concept to her, how people tend to grasp and materialize it in their own terms and then forcefully shove their definitions in the throats of anyone. So as long as it's tangible, anyone would believe in those perspectives.

Time would never stop for anyone, they failed to realize that.

It would never stop for her either, she accepted it. While the flow of time in the darkness was comparably different from what she used to know, she found a strange sense of comfort in it. Befriend the clock, they would say, for it was man's companion throughout their lifetime. Oddly enough, she agreed with that sentiment. Sometimes, she would hear lapses of conversations, whispers of the past but it felt like a faraway dream to her. She wanted to believe it was time's way of acquiescing her pain and restlessness. After all, time and darkness were her only companions from the solitude she gained for accepting full responsibility of her actions.

Until she felt herself falling.

Without warning, she felt the barbed wire chains disappear and her chest lightening, letting her breathe more easily now. She felt herself falling downwards, albeit in a slow, muddled manner. Her senses told her to brace herself, to prepare to have what little of herself left be completely destroyed when she would reach the bottom of her fall.

But two strong arms caught her instead, and she instinctively clung to whoever caught her. The warmth emanating from the person was so comforting, a stark contrast to the darkness she knew.

" _You are free from the Seal now, my dear,"_ a voice finally spoke, one that was strangely familiar to her yet she couldn't remember where she had heard it. It felt like a distant memory. _"The bonds you have forged are very powerful; I have underestimated them. These will keep the Seal in its place."_

Silence enveloped them, as if giving her time to recollect her senses. Even so, she couldn't understand what the voice meant.

" _That is alright, you will understand in time,"_ a chuckle was heard from the person holding her in their arms. _"For now, you must wake up."_

" _Your contract has expired, but fate has always worked in mysterious ways. Another journey has begun, and you, my dear guest, must help our new guest before he falls to his peril."_

Her thoughts were still confused as the familiar voice continued on. _"We do not have much time; the malevolent entity rises and he senses our move. We must make haste now. Theodore, bring me Lavenza. Tell her it's time."_

With those words being spoken, she felt a tug in her consciousness, as if calling her to be somewhere. She felt herself fade back into the darkness once more, instinctively welcoming it as if it were her friend, before hearing the voice one last time. _"Perhaps in the end, you need not to return here. But for now, you must wake up, my dear Fool."_

* * *

 **April 9th, Saturday**

* * *

She felt her head lulled to the side, accidentally hitting against the window of the train she was in. She blinked her eyes open before shutting quickly, the light peering from outside hurting her eyes. Though her eyes had been shut close, she could feel her body moving in a little forward, capturing the warmth from outside, and strangely familiar music playing in her ears.

Brilliant coppery eyes slowly opened again, adjusting to the light as she took in her surroundings.

She was on a train, sunlight seeping from her window and music playing in her headphones as the trip carried on. She turned her head towards the light, looking at the infinite skyline of buildings and skyscrapers of wherever she was traveling in with one thought running in her head. While looking out the window, she also caught sight of the pale reflection off it. A teenage girl with long, silky black hair clipped back with barrettes bearing the Roman numerals XXII, just enough to let her bangs flow freely and frame her face, and rich copper eyes looking back at her. She wore a dark gray jacket with a pocket over her the left side of her chest, a beige turtleneck sweater underneath it and dark jeans. A pair of earphones covered said part of her body that seemed like she never took them off.

 _Where am I? Who_ am _I?_

A moment after that thought, a song started to play through her ears as she lightly touched the earphones over them. _"Write me an endless song…"_

Without a second thought, her hand went to the strange device (her cellphone? She knew it had to be that, but it felt strange for her to hold it) and tapped the screen on it to turn off the music. She pulled her earphones down to hang around her neck as she shifted in her seat to get a better sense of comfort when she felt something drop from her lap. Looking down, she found a thick manila folder that seemed to be perfectly intact despite the unceremonious fall. She leaned over to pick it up, opening the folder gingerly as she went back to sitting properly.

The first thing she saw was a picture of herself staring back at her clipped to layers of papers and forms. Flipping the picture to the side, she scanned in the first page when a name in bold print caught her attention.

 **Shiomi Reina.**

It was a nice name, yet it didn't sound right to her. _Was this really my name…?_ She went to skim through the next pages with dexterity, finding any more relevant information that could jog her memory, as she leaned back against the seat into a more comfortable position. _Transfer forms and transcripts from previous schools attended, medical records on spending a year in the hospital for treatment of some problem they didn't specify… I'm going to some school called Shujin Academy, and it's going to be my second year there?_

As she read the answers to the questions she had in her mind, none of them really clicked with her. It didn't coincide with her nonexistent memory, and it felt incredibly off to her.

 _This is starting to scare me… who exactly am I?_

At the end of the pile of documents, a single yellow post it note was stuck on the last paper. She peeled it off to take a better look at it.

 **Yongen-Jaya.**

That was it—no phone number attached, nor a specific address. She cursed quietly to herself, running one hair through her bangs. _This has got to be a sick joke. Whoever plotted this is not making things easy for me..._

With a sigh, she returned the files back inside the folder and turned, taking a good look at her surroundings. It seemed to be like any ordinary train traveling across the busy Tokyo streets, packed with people of different age groups getting to their destinations. Though for some reason, she couldn't remember any prior experience of her traversing to the city proper this way. With that thought mulling over her head, she was about to stare back outside the window when she caught sight of someone sitting in the other end of the train.

There was nothing peculiar about him. He looked unassuming, with his fluffy black hair and steely gray eyes covered by his glasses. He wore a black jacket, left unbuttoned to reveal a cream colored sweater, and a pair of blue jeans. He seemed to be lost in thought, an unreadable expression marring his features, when he looked up and met her gaze.

Time seemed to stop flowing momentarily around them. There was something akin to recognition and surprise in the boy's face, but that was impossible; she never knew or saw him until today. For a moment, she caught a glimpse of a bluish flicker in his eyes and the sound of a crackling fire from the distance.

 _The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed…_

An announcement that they arrived in Shibuya broke the stillness, and just like that, time resumed. The sea of people getting off the train blocked her view of the boy who was staring at her earlier, disappearing from her sight. She gathered her bag, folder held securely in her arms, and allowed herself to be led outside of the station with the swarm of people.

As if the inside was crowded enough, the streets of Shibuya was horrifyingly amassed with people. She bit back a groan and tried to navigate her way through the crowd, in hopes of maybe catching sight of that boy again. Although she was sure she had never met him in her entire life (or her previous life), there was something in him that sparked a familiarity within her. Like they were one and the same.

Unfortunately, the masses of people in a rush to get to their desired destinations left her being pushed left and right. It was impossible to catch him in this crowd.

With a disappointed sigh, Reina (she needed to call herself something, besides maybe after she got used to it, some of her memories would come back to her) shifted the weight of her bag a bit before deciding to look for this Yongen-Jaya place, wherever that could be. _Maybe I'll find him soon enough…_

Unknowingly to her, a red icon with a distorted black eye design had suddenly appeared on her phone.

* * *

All she could hear was a fizzing TV static that felt unsettling and surreal.

Reina had opened her eyes to a surreal yet grotesque world akin to Shibuya's underground station. The halls were bleeding red and purple, the lights were extremely dim they could almost fade out. The TV screens around her showed nothing but static, and the walls looked like a mass of red and black veins, spreading throughout the ceilings and wherever it could touch like cancer cells.

As for herself, she realized that she was wearing her new school uniform.

Reina placed a hand on her head, trying to rack her brain on how she ended up here. After learning how to tamper with her phone (the phone model felt _way_ too new for her, as if it was years advanced from what she knew), she made use of the navigation app on it and found her way to Yongen-Jaya, the place written on the sticky note. She had a hunch that this was where she would be living, but she took time to ask people around if they knew where she was actually staying. Most of them were clueless, if not annoyed to have her bother them with her questions. Luckily, a man who seemed to be closing up a nearby cafe had an idea of her arrival there and guided her to the house she was staying, which happened to be a few blocks near the cafe. Apparently he was friends with her new guardian, but the said person wasn't going to be around until Monday so the man told her to might as well make herself feel at home with her new living quarters.

She remembered unpacking the few things that really did belong to her—some clothes, her new school uniform, a few books, and a small box that seemed to be sealed shut—before flopping onto her bed and falling into dreamland.

 _This must be a dream then…_ With no other options in her mind, she got up from the ground and decided to walk around carefully in this strange area.

All she could see was a replication of the area, patterning itself, as she delved cautiously deeper. As far as she was concerned, she was also the only person in this strange world.

She had walked for quite a while, when voice was heard from nowhere. _**"Do you seek emancipation…?"**_

Reina stopped walking as she waited to hear the voice again, unsure whether it belonged to someone human. All she could think of it was that it was deep, too cold and menacing that it sent a shiver down her spine.

 _ **"So… you are the extra player in this game… how clever of him to put you in the arena…"**_

She could hear the unsettling static from the TVs grow louder, and instinctively she put on a fighting stance. She felt a gust of wind pass through the area a bit, and as soon as it passed, she was surprised to see what was in her possession. A naginata held firmly in her right hand, and a gun holstered around her hips.

 _ **"Let me see what you are capable of…"**_

She could feel a malevolent force surrounding her despite not seeing a figure of sorts. Without much of a thought, Reina lunged forward and drew forth her naginata, slashing at thin air.

It seemed to hit something as she pulled back, and the voice spoke again. _**"Hmm… so your heart sees where the distortion begins…"**_

Reina didn't give a thought on what the voice meant on its words. Instead, the dark haired girl pulled out the gun from her holster, but instead of pointing it at wherever this force was coming from, she pointed it at her head. Pulling the trigger, she heard the sound of glass breaking and a shadowed figure appeared from above her, swooping down to hit the force with whatever it was holding.

 _ **"How interesting… you still put up a fight even without your memory… perhaps you could be useful in this game…"**_

At that, the dark and red hues in the area seemed to pulse around her. She was starting to feel nauseous and tired, but nonetheless she tried to hack and slash at wherever the force was, but her naginata didn't seem to hit anything. She shot herself in the head again and the shadowed figure emerged, but it didn't seem to hit anything either.

 _ **"Your tricks of old are astounding, but it seems that he has restricted the potential that flows in you… this is truly interesting…**_

 _ **"Let us play this game on my terms… and perhaps when you understand the facets of it..."**_ A chuckle was heard, amused by this notion. _**"We shall meet again… I look forward to it, Fool…"**_

With that, Reina felt herself losing consciousness and the world turned to black around her.

* * *

 **April 10th, Sunday.**

* * *

Reina woke up in cold sweat, sitting up abruptly and throwing the covers off her. She breathed heavily, slightly aware of the sunlight streaming through her window and the clock on her bedside reading 7:00 AM. "What the hell… was that…?!"

Slowly, she managed to catch her breath again, evening it out, and calmness started to return to her senses. However, it was short-lived as she stifled the urge to scream in panic when she looked down at her hands.

The same naginata she had in her dreams were grasped in both of her hands, the gun that she had dreamt to shoot herself with was nowhere to be found. It took most of Reina's willpower not to scream at the sight of the weapon that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"Calm down, Reina," she told herself, though her voice sounded faraway to her. "First, you need to stash this away so nobody could see them, not even your guardian. The last thing you need is a botched up explanation on where you got this, or you'll never hear the end of it from the cops. Then, you'll get dressed and introduce yourself to your new guardian. And after that, you'll figure out what to do with this weapon and what you're going to do with your first day of school tomorrow. Yeah, that's it. Everything will be alright…"

Unfortunately, she wasn't so convinced with her last two statements.

* * *

 **April 11th, Monday.**

* * *

Ken Amada hated Shujin Academy.

He would have dismissed the idea of the school itself had it not bragged for being one of the better known schools in Tokyo and guaranteeing a college application in any university in Japan. That, and also Mitsuru Kirijo had helped in pulling strings for him to enroll and stay there for his high school career. He felt that he owed her that much for it, aside from providing him shelter and enough money to support his basic needs. And for a moment, he did find Shujin Academy a competent school… had it not been for the students and faculty themselves.

Ken grimaced inwardly as he passed through the throng of students in the hallway, chatters and gossips filling every nook and cranny. The topic was all the same—a transfer student was coming in today, but apparently he had a criminal record to his name. Despite the pristine reputation Shujin consistently kept over the years, it took the brunette by surprise that the school board would let a juvenile student enroll here. Something about having to boost the school's reputation, he supposed? However, it didn't really seem the case when the students broke out in whispers and thought of conspiracies on what kind of crime the transfer student committed.

 _Gekkoukan was much nicer compared to this…_ He thought, remembering how the students were friendlier and didn't really talk bad about anyone there.

He sighed and continued his pace, not wanting to bother himself with the rumors going about. He climbed a flight of stairs and took a few more steps in the hall before stopping short at a door where a female student with dark brown hair styled in a bob cut was about to get inside.

"Makoto-san," Ken greeted. Crimson irises flitted to his light brown eyes, recognition apparent. "Ken-san, glad you could make it for the meeting."

"Wouldn't dream of being late for it." Ken remarked, humoring her. The girl, Makoto, just gave a small smile of amusement and pushed the door open, where a couple of members from the student council gathered and chattered quietly among themselves.

"Alright, settle down now." Makoto said, signaling everyone to keep quiet. Ken took a seat nearest to the door as the student council president took out a file from her bag, showing to her fellow council members a bespectacled guy in the Shujin Academy uniform. Ken didn't seem to recognize him though. "Okay, first order of business, we have a new transfer student coming in today. His name is Amamiya Ren, and—"

"Wait, I heard about this!" One student council member perked up and cut off the president, worry evident in her tone. "Didn't he assaulted some adult or something?"

Whispers started to grow among the members, concern showing in their faces. Ken felt equally pissed and intrigued at how the conversation was now flowing. _They're jumping to conclusions already, I can't believe this._ _It's too soon to even tell…_

"I was about to get to that point before I was so rudely interrupted," Makoto commented, giving a pointed look at the girl's direction. "But anyway, if that's the case, then we should keep a close eye on him. Though this should have been something confidential among the teachers. How the students figured this out in the first place…"

"Shouldn't we be concerned about the students' safety for this?" A male member spoke, before glancing over at Ken. "Amada-san, you're the Head of the Disciplinary Committee. Shouldn't you do something about this?"

"He hasn't assaulted anyone here, as far as I'm concerned," Ken said, unamused and annoyed at the overreaction of his fellow council members. "As long as he hasn't hurt anyone, I don't think there's a need to tell him off."

"But he's a _criminal_ ," another girl said, exaggerating on the last word.

"He would have been in juvie, if that's the case." Ken rebutted. "But he's studying here now, right? The new kid is probably just serving a probationary sentence here. If he's smart, he wouldn't cause any trouble unless he wants to spend time in juvie."

"Ugh, but why our school?"

"The principal probably just wants to boost our rep, like we can make him change his ways or something!"

"That's just bullshit."

Ken sighed and tuned out the comments of the other council members. He questioned their credibility to be in position sometimes.

Makoto clapped her hands, catching everyone's attention back to her. "Okay, enough of that. On a similar note, another transfer student's coming in this morning too, and the principal asked if one of us could volunteer to show her around Shujin—"

"Another one? What are the odds…"

"Do you think she's a felon, just like that other transfer student?"

"I'll bet she's a babe or something."

Ken suddenly raised his hand. "I'll do it, Makoto-san," he said a little too loudly. The comments were starting to grate on his nerves, and he needed a way to wheedle out of this before he would lose it.

"Perfect!" Makoto exclaimed, relief subtly showing in her face. "She should be waiting in the principal's office by now. Her homeroom teacher should be Inui-sensei."

Ken nodded, standing up from his seat and heading towards the door, not before hearing Makoto drone about the upcoming volleyball rally. When he closed the door leading to the student council room, he let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't that he hated his position on the council, but sometimes he questioned his decision on it. There was a rush he felt whenever he could help out his fellow students and give them the justice they deserve, especially when the adults couldn't do anything about it. But he wished he could say the same for his other council members…

Picking up his pace, he decided to push those thoughts at the back of his mind. _Now, I wonder what the new girl's like..._

* * *

 _I feel like I'm in a prison filled with gajillion inmates,_ Reina thought glumly, discreetly scrunching her face. _Like the students are the convicts, and the teachers are the damned correctional officers…_

She arrived earlier than she was expected to be in Shujin Academy and took a good, solemn look at her new school. Despite the prestige it held to its name, she couldn't help but shake the feeling of being trapped inside here. After a while, she let herself follow the flow of students trickling inside the school, wandering around a bit until she found the principal's office. Her guardian, who turned out to be an owner of a medical clinic named Tae Takemi, was supposed to help her in settling in her transfer to Shujin, but a few calls from patients who needed her direct attention in her clinic left Reina having to deal with it all by herself.

(She couldn't blame Dr. Takemi for that, though. Even if she seemed nonchalant and languorous about taking her in, not to mention the medical drugs she's engineering on. _They're my own creation so of course they'll be safe, does it look like I'm willing to spill blood on my patients?_ she mentioned yesterday when Reina asked about her medical practice. The dark haired teen had placed her trust on her guardian on that… but she was still cautious whenever Takemi would ask if Reina would like to try the drug.)

Reina almost blanched at the sight of the principal sitting behind his desk. He was ridiculously stout and rotund, almost reminding her of a walking potato. His bald head didn't seem to help the case, neither did his suit that seemed to threaten to rip should he put in more food in his stomach. Next to him was a tall, mildly muscular man in athletic wear. He had long black, unkempt hair and thick eyebrows, and jawline that was broad and square. The two men seemed to be deeply immersed in their talk until Reina noticeably cleared her throat, alerting them of her presence.

"Ah! You must be the other transfer student. Shiomi Reina, right?" The principal said, upon noticing her standing in front of them. Reina could feel the heated and curious stare coming from the other man, and she shifted uncomfortably in her place. "Yes, that would be me. I'm sorry my guardian couldn't come and accompany me today. Dr. Takemi has patients that needs her immediate care."

The portly man didn't seem to care much of what she said, and continued speaking. "My name is Principal Kobayakawa. Now, we've received your transcripts from the schools you've attended, and my, you're quite a star student! Your academic scores are stellar and you have been given recognition on being part of the volleyball team in your previous school." While he droned on about her achievements (which she couldn't quite remember), Reina could almost feel the malicious smirk on the other man's face. She felt vulnerable in her position, and she felt like any minute, that man would swoop in and take her like some prey.

 _Can you please shut up and get on with it? I want to get out of here_ , she mentally screamed.

"Although it's a pity that you had to lose your parents and nearly your own life in an accident on a bridge more than ten years ago in Port Island," Principal Kobayakawa said, sympathy evident in his voice, and Reina darkened at that. Though she vaguely recalled that, she couldn't believe this man was talking about a sensitive incident like it was another trivial topic. "With that said, we will be sure to welcome you to Shujin Academy with open arms, Shiomi-san."

Then, he gestured towards the man next to him, who was still focusing on her. "Before I forget, this is Kamoshida Suguru, the school's PE teacher as well as the coach of the volleyball team and former Olympian gold medalist." The principal's tone was so patronizing that Reina had to hide her grimace at that. "Unfortunately, your homeroom teacher, Mr. Inui, isn't here right now, but I supposed Mr. Kamoshida wouldn't mind giving you a tour around the campus?"

"Not at all, principal!" The other man, Kamoshida, said. His smile was too wide and cheerful that Reina felt unnerved by it. "It would be an honor showing this lovely lady around our school. Perhaps I can show her the gym where the volleyball team practices, show her some few tricks of the trade!"

"N-No, it's fine, really!" Reina said, attempting to pull herself out of her situation. "I wasn't really planning to join volleyball this year…"

Kamoshida didn't seem to be deterred by it. "You can get far if you join, you can even get the starter position. I assure you, it will be an honor to have you play on our Nationals-level volleyball team. And with a build like that," his eyes glazed over her body, lingering a little too longer for her comfort. "You would make an excellent addition!"

Before she could politely decline his offer, a knock was heard before the door opened, letting in a male student. "Excuse me, Principal Kobayakawa. I'm from the student council, and you sent someone to show the transfer student around…?"

"Ah, that's right!" The said man exclaimed in realization. "I requested Niijima-san for that. I'm glad you took up the request, Amada-san."

"It's no trouble at all, sir." Ken said politely, before turning around to the new student. Reina swore she saw his brown eyes flicker in shock, and she couldn't help but feel something nagging at the back of her mind, as if telling her she should remember him. _Why does he seem familiar…?_

"I don't think there's a need for him to show her around," Kamoshida huffed, obviously displeased at Ken's sudden appearance. "He should be heading back to class! I can take it from here."

"It's fine, Kamoshida-sensei," Ken said coolly, though he could feel his irritation sparking up again. "Chouno-sensei is absent today, so we have a free period right now. I can show her around in the meantime. Besides, aren't you supposed to be teaching PE in a while?"

"Amada-san has a point, Suguru," Principal Kobayakawa said. "Well, now that matters are settled, I do hope you'll enjoy your stay here, Shiomi-san!"

Reina smiled politely at the two men before following Ken outside the office, sighing in relief when the two continued to walk until they were no longer in listening vicinity from them. She did notice the glower on Kamoshida's face when Ken made his point.

"Don't involve yourself with him," Ken said, not skipping a beat. He heard of the rumors of what the ex-Olympian did to his volleyball team, and admittedly, it was one of the few rumors he believed to be true.

"I won't," Reina said with a grimace. "There's something about him that's so unsettling… I don't think I want to be in the same room with him again."

Ken stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her. At first glance, she seemed like any other regular student in her standard Shujin Academy uniform, although he noted she left her blazer unbuttoned and wore thigh highs instead of stockings like most of the girls in the school. Her hair was clipped back a bit with barrettes forming the Roman numeral XXII, keeping a few strands from covering her blue eyes. But, for some reason, Ken swore that he looked like someone who was important to him from years ago (even though this was the first time he met her).

 _I'm probably just overthinking this,_ he told himself mentally, shaking his head. Pushing that thought to the recesses of his mind, he gave the new girl a small smile. "Good. Even without the rumors, he spells trouble for you."

Reina tilted her head in confusion. "Huh? Rumors?"

"I'll tell you about them some time," he said with a chuckle. Then, he offered hand out towards her. "Anyway, I'll be showing you around Shujin. My name is Amada Ken."

She looked at it a bit before taking his hand into hers, shaking it. There was a jolt of familiarity when their hands touched. _Huh, what is this…_

Deciding to not trouble herself with this now, she offered Ken a smile of her own. "Nice to meet you, Amada-kun. I'm Shiomi Reina."

* * *

 **A/N: So, after scrolling through numerous fanfics here and on AO3, getting through a lot of playthroughs of P3 and P5 and mulling on this idea for quite some time, I finally decided to put this out. I've been meaning to work on something like this since P5 came out, but I couldn't think of how to play it through [but sadly I couldn't add P4 in the mix since I haven't really finished playing it yet *cries*].**

 **If you guys picked up the hints, Ken will be a prominent character here and one of the main characters is built on the P3 Hero but I decided to put my own twist to it [because technically, you're the one who builds up the protag and decide how s/he interacts with the rest, so why not?]. But of course, our dear Joker still holds the limelight.**

 **Thanks for reading this, and I'm open to constructive criticism and advice on how to improve this more!**


	2. Shades of Shujin

**II: Shades of Shujin**

* * *

 **April 11th, Monday.**

* * *

Reina lightly tapped her pencil to the beat of the music pouring from one earbud of her earphones, the other dangling around her neck to half-listen to whatever their teacher was droning on about. She was seated at the farthest end of the room, just beside the window and next to an empty seat on her left where she wouldn't be easily seen. Other than being saved from the uneasiness exuded from Kamoshida and being toured around the campus by Ken Amada ( _Amada-senpai_ , she corrected herself mentally. She learned that he was her senior despite the youthful features he had on himself, so it was only respectful to call him such), the rest of her first day in Shujin Academy was dull. She heard the mindless chatter coming from the students when she walked past them in the halls, but even the gossip wasn't enough to pique her interest. It mostly revolved around the transfer student (the other one, not her) who apparently was a convicted felon and had yet to grace the halls with his presence.

A lot of the students speculated he was planning his next assault, but Reina found the idea absurd. _Don't judge the book by its cover._

Though the whispers were starting to get on her nerves, especially after she introduced herself to her new classmates earlier. They kept wondering whether it's pure luck to have two transfer students at the same time, or if she had a record or something scandalous to her name as well. At that point, Reina was ready to tell them off with all that nonsense, but she kept her cool.

She was not going to let something so foolish get under her skin so easily.

The sound of the light rain outside pattered in rhythm with the beat of her pencil. The boring lectures of their teacher coupled with the weather made her feel drowsy, and her music wasn't helping her either. _Maybe if I close my eyes a bit… Sensei wouldn't probably even notice…_

There was a sound of a door opening and all eyes flitted to it, where a disheveled male student stood. A hint of a scowl was subtle on his face as he shifted his weight a bit, his bleached hair sticking out a bit in odd angles and his makeshift Shujin Academy uniform mussed up. There was a cacophony of whispers breaking out among the students, and Reina couldn't help but lower her music a bit to get a gist of what they're saying.

"Look who decided to show up at this hour…"

"Ugh, the school thug is back. Did he get into a fight again?"

"I bet he's in cahoots with that criminal transfer student…"

"Settle down, everyone." Their teacher, Ushimaru, snapped. Desks creaked and papers rustled before the class faded back into their dull silence. Ushimaru sighed and turned his attention to the newcomer. "And as for you, Sakamoto, this is the fifth time since the beginning of this term that you've been ridiculously late. Has it ever been in your best interest to actually come to class _on time?_ "

Sakamoto just murmured a half-hearted sorry to their teacher and shuffled towards his desk, which happened to be the empty seat next to Reina. Ushimaru just sighed exasperatedly at the blatant show of behavior. "Honestly, kids these days. They don't even know the meaning of respect… Anyway, going back to what I was saying before I was _rudely_ interrupted," he gave a pointed look at Sakamoto. "Plato's allegory of the cave simply means that before you recognize philosophy…"

He continued to drone on about the lesson, and Reina could feel the drowsiness coming back to her. Sighing, she tampered with her phone discreetly, flicking through her playlist for a decent, upbeat song to keep her up, when she felt a scrutinizing gaze on her. She turned a bit and saw Sakamoto looking at her in curiosity, though he quickly looked away in embarrassment when he noticed that he was caught red-handed.

Amused, Reina pulled out a piece of paper from her notebook and scribbled on it before passing it to her neighbor. _Hello._

Reina could feel the surprise on the boy's face with her attempt of a doodled conversation with him. _Hey. New kid? Haven't seen ya around here._

 _You got that right. I just transferred here today._

 _Whoa, really? Didn't expect to see another transferee so soon. Where'd you come from?_

The question got Reina racking her mind for an answer. It's only been two days, and her memories still hadn't come back to her. Maybe the retrograde on her memory was longer than she expected it would be, but still…

Remembering the documents she had read on the transit the other day, she scribbled down her answer. _I'm from Tatsumi Port Island, just a little off the Kansai Region._

She saw the look of amazement and surprise on her seatmate's face, and she couldn't help but smile slightly at that. From the short amount of time she had to gather her facts, Reina knew that Tatsumi Port Island had a reputation to hold. After all, it was one of those man-made islands with highly advanced technology and higher par way of life. Not to mention it was headed by the Kirijo Group.

"It looks like you're on the roll of getting on my bad side, Sakamoto. What's that you've got in your hands?"

Reina winced when she saw the highly irritated look on their teacher's face. At once, the whole class shifted their attention towards the blonde, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights. He tried to sputter an excuse, but the words the came out of his mouth made no sense.

She knew it was her fault that he got into this situation, and so Reina raised her hand to catch the teacher's attention. "It was my fault, sensei. I was only asking him about the lessons you've had so far. I didn't mean to interrupt the class."

Ushimaru gave her a disapproving look, but nonetheless sighed. "I understand that you've only transferred here just now, but the next time you ask for the lessons, please do it when the discussion is over, Shiomi-san. Otherwise, you're no better than Sakamoto."

Reina felt a hot rush of anger in her cheeks, but she just gritted her teeth and stayed quiet. How could judged when he knew nothing about her in the first place? _Don't judge the book by its cover, that's what they_ all _say._

She stayed quiet for the rest of the class, letting the music in her earphones drown her attention instead. The rest of the class went like a blur, and the next thing she knew, the bell rang and signaled their dismissal. She was one of the first to leave the classroom, having only little to pack up, but she didn't make it so far when she felt someone running to catch up to her.

"Hey, thanks for saving my ass back there," Her seatmate—Sakamoto, she remembered—said with a small, grateful smile. Then, he looked down. "You didn't really have to do that though."

Reina shrugged and waved a hand dismissively. "It's fine, really. I don't think you deserve that."

She didn't miss the shocked look on his face. _I guess he doesn't get that a lot…_ "Still, that's nice of you to do that. I'm Sakamoto Ryuji, by the way."

"Shiomi Reina."

Before he could add anything more, something seemed to have caught Sakamoto's attention. He walked past Reina with a determined look in his eyes, and the black-haired girl turned to see him approaching to a student and a teacher. The teacher, who looked rather unconventional with her less-than-formal wear and unkempt hair, seemed to be immersed in her conversation with the student when she noticed Sakamoto walking towards them and scowled. "Speak of the devil," she said as she crossed her arms. "What do you want? I heard the police caught you cutting classes today."

"It's nothing," Sakamoto remarked, mirroring the scowl on the teacher's face.

She sighed exasperatedly. "And you haven't dyed your hair back to black either…"

"Sorry," he replied curtly, before turning to the student. By that time, Reina was within their range when she realized with a jolt that the student looked familiar to her. _Didn't I meet him before?_

"I'll be waitin' on the rooftop," Reina heard Sakamoto say that to the other guy quietly, before taking his leave.

The teacher observed the whole exchange with a tired look on her face. "See? That's why I don't want you getting involved." She remarked, before looking up and seeing Reina standing before them. "Oh, you're the other transfer student, right? Shiomi Reina?"

Reina flinched slightly, realizing she caught their attention. She was supposed to leave quietly after Sakamoto left her, but she guessed that wasn't going to be the case. "Yeah, that's me," she said, albeit reluctantly. She also noticed that the student with the teacher shifted his attention to her, the curiosity shining in his steel gray eyes.

"Well, welcome to Shujin Academy. I'm Kawakami-sensei," the teacher, Kawakami, said with a small smile, although it seemed forced. "I guess you and Sakamoto are classmates, right? I already told Amamiya-kun this, but try not to get yourselves involved with him. Understood?" With that, she walked away.

Reina frowned. She didn't get why the people here had it bad for her classmate. Sakamoto seemed like a nice person to her, albeit a little rough around the edges. _What happened here that made him earn their prejudice?_

She turned a bit and saw the student—the other transfer student—still looking at her with confusion and curiosity. _Is he thinking the same thing too? Why do I feel like I know him somewhere?_

But before she could ask, she saw two faculty members climbing up the stairwell, unaware that they were still in the vicinity as they chatted loudly to each other.

"Why did you allow a student like him to transfer here? He's already associating himself with Sakamoto," Kamoshida complained. "A student with a criminal record, and a culprit of an assault case… At this rate, it'd be pointless how much I contribute to this school," he sighed, placing his hands on his hips.

Reina noticed the student next to her seemed to have set his jaw, a mix of hurt and anger flickering in his eyes. _So, this was that juvenile transfer student the Shujin rumor mill kept going on about? He looks completely harmless to me._

Principal Kobayakawa held up his hands placatingly. "Now, don't be like that. The school needs you, Kamoshida-kun. You are our star." He consoled, and Reina didn't miss the shower of pride he had in his tone. Then, he shook his head. "A steady build-up is necessary behind such brilliance…"

Kamoshida sighed and closed his eyes in displeasure. "Your troubles never seem to end, Principal Kobayakawa." Then, he forcefully grinned. "But I understand. I'll continue to do my best to answer your expectations of me."

With that, they both turned and walked towards the faculty office.

Reina frowned at the whole exchange. _Isn't a criminal record supposed to be confidential? Why the heck are they talking about it so loudly?_

"Yeah, it's supposed to be. I can't wait to hear what else the rumor mill has to say about this," the sarcastic, baritone voice caught Reina off guard, and the girl couldn't help but pink slightly when she realized that she was thinking out loud. "Kawakami-sensei said you're the other transfer student, right?" He said, raising a hand in greeting. "I'm Amamiya Ren, but you probably know that already."

"I'm Shiomi Reina," Reina said and took his hand in hers, shaking it slightly. Then, she gave him a contemplative look. "For someone with a supposed criminal record, you seem like a nice person."

There's a flicker of unreadable emotion in his eyes. "You can't judge a book by its cover, Shiomi-san."

"That's what they all say, Amamiya-san."

Amamiya Ren let out a dry chuckle. "Whatever floats your boat then. Anyway, I'll take my leave first, Shiomi-san." He turned and headed straight for the stairwell, but before he could climb up, he looked back with a slight smile on his face.

"... Thanks."

* * *

Ryuji looked up when he saw the door to the rooftop creaked open. He felt a pang of guilt when Amamiya Ren, the school's current and reputable delinquent, blatantly ignored the _Do Not Enter_ sign plastered on the door. It was only Ren's first day, and he was breaking rules already.

Ryuji sat in one of the discarded folding chairs which was found in the corner with the other tables and chairs left there, away from the vegetables and plants cultivated by the gardening club on the other side. He straightened up a bit at the appearance of the frizzy haired student. "Sorry for calling you suddenly, especially since you were talking with Kawakami," he said, before focusing his gaze on Ren. "I bet she already told you stuff like 'don't get involve with Sakamoto' or something like that, huh?"

"She told me you were trouble…" Ren mumbled, shifting his gaze away from Ryuji. He knew though that the teen in front of him was far less from being a bad guy. If anything, the events that transpired in the castle as they escaped in the nick of time showed Ren that much. But really though, was that castle for real…?

"We're pretty much on the same boat then," Ryuji mused, crossing his leg over the other. "I heard you got a criminal record. Everyone's talkin' about it. No wonder you were so headstrong."

Ren frowned at that, but he chose to say nothing and leaned against one of the desks instead. It was becoming perplexing to him how on earth did the entire school become aware of his offense. How the heck did it end up as a gossip story that evidently made people steer clear of him? Did the school administration decide to drop his request and let it get leaked instead?

He didn't want to know the answer of that.

Ryuji sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "What happened earlier…" He quietly started. "What was all that? You know, how we almost got killed and all in the castle… It wasn't a dream, right? You remember it too?" He asked, almost desperate.

Ren nodded after a moment's pause, his expression turning grim. "Yeah, that wasn't a dream." He had no idea how it happened, but they ended up meeting some twisted version of their gym teacher who almost got them executed. He remembered the agony he felt from the voice in his head, that once he took off his mask, it felt like he was finally alive.

He felt a humming pulse in his chest remembering it—Arsene, it was called.

The blonde looked away, turning to gaze up at the skyline instead. "Even if we both remember, it doesn't mean much though. I mean, even if it was a dream, you still saved me from Kamoshida…" Ryuji, sitting back and crossing his arms and legs, looked over him and grinned. "So yeah… thanks for that."

Ren nodded slightly, his lips quirking. "No problem."

"But man, that Kamoshida we saw there…" The smile on the blonde's face was replaced with an unsettling frown. "You prolly don't know about it, but there are some rumors about him."

"Kamoshida…" Ren muttered, furrowing his brows. So that was the gym teacher's name.

"Yeah, that bastard." Ryuji muttered, crossing his arms and glaring ahead of him. "That asshole who's so full of himself, especially at that castle. No one says anything to him just because he's some Olympic medalist who took the volleyball team to Nationals. I'll bet anything that Kamoshida was acting that way in the castle because of that. I mean, it felt crazy real..."

They both leaned back, the silence between them heavy.

"... I wonder if we could go back to the castle again." Ryuji thought aloud, scrunching his face. Then, he shot up from his seat. "Ugh, forget it! Must've all been a dream! It has to be!"

Ren looked on silently, unsure of what to say. For some reason, he wasn't so convinced that it was all a dream. The pulse he felt earlier was a confirmation of that. _It felt way too real to be just a dream, but…_

Ryuji turned and gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry to drag you all the way here. That's all I had to say." He paused. "You know, we might be pretty similar. I feel like we're gonna get along just fine as "troublemakers.""

He grinned. "I'm Sakamoto Ryuji."

Ren nodded, grinning slightly as well. "Amamiya Ren. Nice to officially meet you."

Ryuji beamed. "I'll come talk to you if I see you around. Don't ignore me, all right? Seeya!" With that, he walked off and left the roof.

The transfer student sighed heavily, thinking of the events that transpired on his first day. _So much for keeping your head down..._

* * *

 **April 12th, Tuesday.**

* * *

 _Looks like the weather isn't going to relent anytime soon_ , Reina thought as she looked up from under the station. The skies were still gray and stormy, and the drizzle seemed to drop faster compared to yesterday. _It's a good thing Dr. Takemi reminded me to bring my umbrella along. I didn't think she had it in her to be compassionate; she's definitely full of surprises…_

She took her time walking towards the school gates. This time, she let her earphones dangle around her neck, taking in the peaceful pitter-patter of the rain instead. It wasn't too long until someone joined her in her pace, umbrella in hand as well.

"Hey, Shiomi-san," Amada Ken greeted her, catching her attention. "I see that you take the same path to Shujin as I do."

She turned and nodded, giving him a small smile. "Amada-senpai," she acknowledged. "I didn't know you live around this area."

"I wouldn't be surprised, considering we only met fairly recently," Ken said, amused. "How's adjusting to Tokyo life?"

Reina's smile turned sheepish. "Was it that obvious?"

"With how you snuck glances once in a while around the streets like a lost puppy, yeah," The brunette smirked a bit. "But only a little."

The black-haired girl felt her cheeks flared in embarrassment. "W-Well, in my defense, Tokyo's a really big place to get lost in…"

Ken merely chuckled at that. "I can show you around Tokyo after class later, if you want?"

"Really? But you're probably busy; I don't mean to take your time…"

"It's not a problem. Besides, it'd be a nice break from school-related responsibilities," Ken shrugged.

The grateful smile on Reina's face was enough for the brunette to confirm that she accepted his proposition. The two continued to chat amicably on the way to Shujin, oblivious to the other Shujin students in vicinity. Their gazes were glued to them with rapt attention.

"Hey, isn't that the transfer student?"

"Yeah, but she's not the one with the criminal record. I heard she's from Tatsumi Port Island."

"Isn't that Amada-kun with her?"

"Tch, typical of the Gekkou snobs. Birds of the same feather _do_ flock together."

"Ugh, he's probably taking pity on her. After all, I did see her with Sakamoto and that criminal transfer student yesterday…"

* * *

Like yesterday, Reina was one of the first to leave the classroom by the time the bell signaled the end of class hours. After quickly packing up, she only gave Ryuji a short nod of acknowledgement before walking out of the classroom, only to stop short when she nearly bumped into someone in the hallway.

"I'm sorry," Reina apologized automatically. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

The deep chuckle was enough for the transferee to recognize who she bumped into. "It's okay. I wasn't looking where I was going either." Ken said light-heartedly, completely unbothered by the little accident.

"Still, I should've watched where I was going…" The black-haired girl mumbled. Somehow, it still felt weird for her to be around Ken. Since meeting him yesterday, she couldn't get the nagging feeling of how familiar he was to her out of her mind. She noticed that he must've felt the same thing too, judging by how he subtly reacted to her yesterday, but he seemed to be taking it to stride.

That, or she really was overthinking things.

"It's fine, really." He waved it off dismissively. "Anyway, how are you settling here in Shujin?"

… She couldn't say much since this was the first she ever attended school, as far as her memory was concerned. "It's a different kind of vibe from what I'm used to, but it's okay, I guess."

The brunette nodded. "Nothing like Gekkoukan, right?"

 _… What?_

Before Reina could ask how he knew about Gekkoukan (she read in her old records about having to go to Gekkoukan, but even the name itself did nothing to jog her memory), she noticed Kamoshida a few feet away from them. The volleyball coach had come from the stairs and walked up towards a pretty blonde girl with a wide grin on his face.

"Hey there, Takamaki! You looking for a ride home? Things have been pretty dangerous lately with all those accidents," Kamoshida remarked.

The girl, Takamaki, looked up from her phone. Her expression was akin to a deer caught in the headlights but she smiled politely moments after. "Sorry, I have a photoshoot today. It's for the summer issue, so I can't afford to miss it…"

"Hey, now… being a model's great and all, but don't work your pretty little self to the bone," Kamoshida said, frowning. "You mentioned you weren't feeling well, right? Something about appendicitis?"

Takamaki nodded in confirmation. "Yes. I've been planning to go to the hospital, but I've been busy so lately… Sorry to worry you." She replied, eyes looking downcast.

"You must feel lonely too. I feel bad for keeping your best friend at practice so often." He said sadly, as if sympathizing with her. Then, a thought hit him. "Oh, and be careful around that transfer student… He's got a criminal record, after all. If something were to happen to you…" He trailed off, letting the warning hang in the air…"

"...Right, thank you." Takamaki replied, but she kept her head down to avoid looking him in the eye. "Well, I'll leave first. Please excuse me."

She bowed quietly at Kamoshida before taking her leave. Kamoshida stared at her retreating backside, his eyes drinking in the smooth curves of the girl with lust, before the smile on his face melted into an ugly sneer. "Tch." He muttered angrily before deciding to walk away as well.

Reina watched the whole scene happened and frowned deeply. _A sexual predator running rampant around this school? This is really sick. How come no one noticed this?_

Ken nudged her, trying to get her attention. Reina snapped out of her train of thoughts and gave a reassuring smile to her senior. He motioned for her to follow, with the halls slowly starting to fill with students, and the two started to make their way out of the building.

"Absolutely disgusting," Ken commented suddenly, seemingly resonating with her thoughts earlier. Reina peered over him and didn't miss the pissed look on his face. _He must have noticed it too then_. "I can't believe no one has looked into this yet."

"Why don't you report him instead?" Reina asked.

This earned a heavy sigh from her senior. "It's not that simple, per se," Ken said, running his fingers lightly through his light brown locks. "Even if I do report him, I don't have enough evidence to prove him dirty. That, and he's got the school administration wrapped around his finger."

"That's just horrible."

Ken gave a dry smile at her response, but said nothing. Just as the two were about to pass by the school gate, they noticed Ryuji and Ren at the end of the stairs.

They seemed to be deep in their conversation, though it looked shady in Reina's perspective.

"I wanna talk about that castle yesterday," the blonde said quietly. "I tried tellin' myself that it was just a dream… but I couldn't do it." He leaned back a bit. "I can't act like nothing happened. It's all connected to that bastard Kamoshida, after all." He crossed his arms, a frown marring his features.

Ren shoved his hands into his pockets with a slight frown. "Right…"

"I wanna find out what's up with that place, no matter what," Ryuji remarked with determination. "And, y'know, you're the only person I can rely on for this stuff. So, you in?"

A pensive look passed Ren's face as he weighed his options. He knew this was going to get him into more trouble but deep inside, he wanted to figure out what was up with what happened yesterday. Maybe this was what the bald man was insinuating in his dream…

"Alright, I'm in." Ren affirmed. "What next?"

"Yes! I knew I could talk some sense into you." Ryuji grinned, pumping up his fist in excitement. "I think we should just try retracing our steps from yesterday. In the meantime, you're walkin' to the station, right? We'll go together. Lemme know if you see any other weird building on the way—"

"Sakamoto-san, Amamiya-san," Ken called out, as he and Reina approached down the steps. "I hope you two are staying out of trouble."

Ryuji looked up in surprise. "Amada-senpai!" He yelped. "Uh, we weren't doing anything…"

"Uh huh," Ken said, clearly unconvinced by that. "What's this about Kamoshida-sensei and some castle?"

The blonde seemed to be breaking out in cold sweat. "Uh… W-we saw him at this weird place, that's all! We were planning to go back to see if it was just our imaginations or shit…"

Reina raised an eyebrow at that. _Clearly Sakamoto isn't telling the truth. So, what are they really planning to do…?_

Ken stared at him suspiciously, before sighing. "Alright, I'm letting you two off," he said, before giving both of them a warning glare. "But stay out of trouble and don't get involved with him, okay? Otherwise, if I hear so much as a rumor on what stint you guys are pulling, I'm coming after your heads. Especially you, Sakamoto-san."

Ryuji and Ren just nodded meekly at their senior, before turning away to walk towards the station.

Reina turned to the brunette inquisitively. "You're just going to let them go just like that?"

"Well, I can't just sanction them or something when they didn't do anything wrong," Ken mumbled, brushing through his bangs slightly distressed. "And as much as the thought of Kamoshida-sensei is unpleasant to me, I'm not going to take their side either and let this slide. A warning is pretty much all I can give."

"I didn't peg you to be a soft person, Amada-senpai," Reina mused. He did have a point though.

"The things you do in the name of justice," Ken said wryly. "Anyway, ready to take on Tokyo?"

* * *

 **A/N: What do you think of this so far? Your thoughts and constructive criticism are highly appreciated!**

 **Also, quick question: Knowing that Reina is the reincarnated[ish] P3 Hero, who do you think her Arcana and Persona will be?**


	3. Black and Blue

**III: Black and Blue**

The moon hung in the sky bigger than she ever thought possible, imbuing the skies with an eerie green yet overpowering light. The clouds encircling it didn't make it look any less unsettling either. After a few moments of gazing at the skies, the black-haired teen finally turned her gaze to take a better look of her surroundings. She was standing on a black and white platform, although the former color was much more dominant than the latter. Statues also aligned the platform, looking eerily like black ravens. They seemed to be giving off some kind of disturbing energy as well.

The place unnerved her, filling the young teen with dread in her heart. At the same time, this place felt strangely familiar to her. Like how a performer would stand on stage to give one last performance worthy of a standing ovation with her dearest friends.

 _Friends…_ The thought struck a chord in her mind. _Yes, I was here before…_

" _ **It's been too long, hasn't it?"**_

Reina turned to find a young man with disarming beauty standing a few steps away from her. His black hair was swept back, sans for some strands sticking out, and his eyes were a brilliant shade of blue with a beauty mark lying underneath his left eye. He wore what seemed to be a semblance of a school uniform, with the added detail of folded black sleeves. Black suspenders also matched his outfit, with a watch with crossed straps on his left wrist and a yellow scarf wrapped around his neck. His features were soft and almost gentle against his pale complexion.

 _But… who is he?_

Before she could wonder more about him, the young man spoke again, his tone light and lilting that sounded incredibly familiar to her. " _ **Do you remember? This is the place where you and I met for the last time, where you and your friends made your final stand. Tell me, do you still recall what I said to you then?"**_

The young man paused, gazing at her as he waited patiently for her answer. It took her a few moments to realize what he meant and she shifted in her place, slightly apologetic as she gave him her honest answer. "I'm sorry, but I don't recall. I don't really remember who you are or who am I."

Reina felt a pang of guilt in her chest when she saw the crestfallen look on the young man's face. His melancholic tone didn't quite make her feel better either. " _ **I see… I suppose I should have expected that, given with what has been done."**_

"What do you mean?"

" _ **I'm sorry, I'd like to help but that is something you need to discover on your own,"**_ he said with an apologetic smile. " _ **But, let me repeat to you those words I said back then: "The moment man devoured the fruit of knowledge, he sealed his fate… entrusting his future to the cards, man clings to a dim hope. Yes, the Arcana is the means by which all is revealed.""**_

The words uttered struck something in her, like glass being shattered as a glimmer of recognition resonated in her.

The young man took a few steps towards her before he stood close. The space between them was almost close to none, but Reina didn't seem to waver with the need for personal space. Somehow, his presence made her feel safe. " _ **It's strange how those words feel to me now,"**_ he said, his smile kind and genuine. " _ **You have challenged the odds and changed the fate of mankind, defeating myself and Nyx when the chances were impossible. And now, you have the chance to change your own fate once again, but you must do this on your own this time."**_

He looked away slightly, and Reina didn't miss the grim expression on his face. " _ **There's a new actor who needs your help in this rigged game. The chances should he succeed are unlikely, but this is why you have been called from your chains to reverse the impossibility of it all. Right now, you must help him discover his path and his potential."**_

As he finished speaking, the platform started to shake and the pillars began to break as the clouds encircling the moon above started to dissipate. Reina looked around with panic rising in her chest as she tried to maintain her balance on the wobbling platform.

Her attention was turned back to the young man when he suddenly encircled her in his arms. " _ **This will be the last time we'll speak until… well, you'll see. For now, I shall abide to**_ **his** _ **rules of the game."**_ Then, he leaned down and softly kissed her forehead. " _ **Please… take care of yourself, my dearest."**_

Just before she could ask what he meant by that, she felt the platform underneath her break away, causing her to lose her footing and slip from the platform. She remembered seeing the young man and the full moon growing farther away from her sight just as the darkness consumed her.

* * *

 **April 13th, Wednesday**

* * *

Sitting up and gasping for breath, Shiomi Reina found herself waking up to a situation similar to the one that happened a few days ago. After a few moments of trying to steady her breathing, she rubbed the last bits of sleepiness in her eyes and turned to her alarm clock. 6:30 AM.

She groaned inwardly and flopped back on her bed. "What a damn great wake up call… what even was that dream," she heaved a heavy sigh. "Just when I thought I could get some dreamless sleep for once…"

Still, her mind kept wandering back to the dream she had just woken up from. _That's the first time I've dreamt about that place, but it felt way too familiar. Who was that guy? And what did he mean by 'final stand'? And this so-called actor I'm supposed to help out… God, why are my dreams getting weirder?_

She turned to peek at her alarm clock and sighed again, resigned. She rolled over her bed and got up, turning to find her uniform. She dressed quickly, and went over to grab her school bag, blue umbrella (just in case it would rain again) and put on her shoes by the closet. Then, hesitating for a moment, she glanced inside the closet to see if what she had found the other morning was still inside. _Okay, the naginata is still there and in one piece._

For some reason, there was a nagging feeling inside her that she should take it with her. _But that's really nuts. The school and the police will have a field day when they see me waving around a naginata in public._ She shuddered thinking of the plausible scenario. Then, an idea dawned on her. _Unless…_

She took out the naginata from her closet and waved it around a bit. It felt way too natural in her palms, almost as if she was used to doing this. _But that's impossible—for what reason would I even know how to use a naginata? What century was I reincarnated from?_

Reina gave it a twirl upwards, and almost screamed when the naginata suddenly collapsed and turned into something that resembled a closed fan. It cluttered to the floor, and the black-haired teen couldn't help but stare at it in shock and disbelief. "What the actual…?"

Tentatively, she knelt down and picked it up to examine it a bit. Then, without a second thought, she gingerly put the now portable naginata in her school bag. The feeling in her gut told her that she was going to need this today.

"For luck," she mumbled, as if trying to convince herself. "Yeah, just for luck."

* * *

Unlike yesterday, Reina found herself walking to Shujin Academy on her own. With no one accompanying her, she took this as an opportunity to immerse herself again with her music. After her dream last night, she felt a bit crappy to deal with the usual gossip she'd hear when walking to Shujin, and her music was the only way she could escape from it.

 _A way of life, a way of life. I heard you say "we were on the same street"..._

Because she was too immersed in her music, she almost didn't notice the person walking in front of her. She crashed into him, and stumbled back unceremoniously at the impact. She inwardly groaned and rubbed her forehead. _Is this going to be a recurring thing?_

Then, someone offered a hand to help and she looked up, seeing the apologetic look on Amamiya Ren's face. "Sorry about that, Shiomi-san."

Reina accepted his help and stood up, dusting some of the dirt off her uniform and school bag. "Don't worry, Amamiya-san. It's my fault for not looking where I was going."

"They say that it's not good to listen to music in full blast while walking. It ruins your attention on the road," he smirked.

"Says the person who wears glasses just to avoid the attention of everyone," she deadpanned. Ren merely raised his hands in mock surrender, though the smirk didn't leave his face. The two decided to walk together towards the school, and started to chat rather amicably on the way with the other Shujin students walking with them.

"Ugh, we've barely started the school year, and now they're making us play at a volleyball rally?" A student whined. "And why are they pitting us against the teacher's team? Kamoshida's going to crush us."

"But we get to see his plays and techniques live and in person, too. We should totally get spiked on!" His friend gushed excitedly.

"Sure, if you really want your face smashed in. Just look at how banged up the volleyball team is. What the hell goes on in there practices anyway?"

Reina didn't miss the frown marring Ren's features, but she didn't question why.

The conversation died down, and they continued their walk to Shujin quietly.

* * *

 _The universe hates me today,_ Ken thought sourly as he found himself situated near the doors that guard the exit of the gym. Just as much of the talk among the students would have, today was the volleyball rally. Since the student council was mostly in charge of the said event, they took it to themselves to divide the tasks between keeping an eye on the students joining the rally in the gym and patrolling the halls since there were no regular classes for that day. Ken assumed he would be part of the patrol team, considering he was the Head of the Disciplinary Committee and all, but _no_ —some douche had to complain the unfairness of being designated with this task, so they drew straws.

And he was stuck with playing watchdog on the students inside the gym.

He inwardly sighed and looked over at the ongoing volleyball match with little interest. The gym was definitely packed with students and teachers alike, but it was the hoard of girls clamoring in excitement to see the gym teacher in action that made the venue more stifling and loud than usual. He didn't really get why those girls were cheering though; Seeing Kamoshida annihilate the students going against his team (add to the fact that his teammates weren't really lifting a finger to help) was getting pretty boring after some time.

His gaze shifted away from the game, turning towards the students sitting on the bleachers instead. He spotted Sakamoto and Amamiya not too far from where he was stationed, and he could clearly see the bored looks on their face. The brunette supposed he couldn't blame them—with their reputations, they probably got benched for the rest of the games since nobody wanted them on their teams. Just a little farther away from the two delinquents, Ken could also see Reina sitting in the front, a little close to where Takamaki was sitting. He didn't miss the way the black-haired teen would sneak glances at her blonde batchmate with subtle worry in her coppery eyes.

Ken frowned. It still bothered him how uncannily similar Reina is to someone he missed from years ago. From the way she dressed to how she brought herself around people… It reminded him all too much of his fallen leader.

Was it possible to bring the dead back to life? He told Mitsuru Kirijo about this, how there was someone in his school that looked almost like S.E.E.S.'s former leader. He wasn't surprised to hear the shock in the Kirijo Group leader's voice, but her next words took him back in surprise. " _Considering with how our trials and outcomes turned out in the Abyss of Time, I wouldn't be surprised_ if _she really was revived. I have a theory on this, but it's too soon to tell. In the meantime, keep an eye on her, Amada. She could be who we thought she'd be."_

The brunette was frustrated that Mitsuru didn't tell him what her thoughts were on how could this be possible. But if her theory was actually correct… then Shiomi Reina could really be Mikan.

The crowd's reaction brought Ken's focus back to the game, and his eyes grew wide with shock. One of the students playing in the rally was knocked back hard on the floor from the impact of the volleyball spiked at his face. Immediately, the brunette ran over to help him up, and he realized with a painful pang that it was Mishima Yuki on the ground.

"Hey, are you okay?" Ken asked, cradling his junior's head gently. He gritted his teeth upon seeing the blood gushing from Mishima's nose, most likely from the force of the volleyball.

He was acutely aware of Reina rushing in and kneeling beside him as well, obviously concerned for her fellow batchmate, but his attention turned to Kamoshida, who crossed over the court to get to them. "Hey! Are you alright?" He called out and knelt next to Mishima, pulling him up in a sitting position. It was no use—he was definitely unconscious.

"Someone! Take him to the nurse's office!" Ken heard Kamoshida called out, and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the fakeness of it all. Clearly the gym teacher enjoyed knocking Mishima out cold, just to stroke his ego. _What an asshole,_ Ken thought bitterly.

Then, without a second thought, Ken took Mishima's arm, wrapping it around his shoulders, and heaved him up. "I'll do it," he said, although it was more to himself than to the rest of the people present in the gym.

He didn't miss the shit-eating grin on Kamoshida's face as he hoisted Mishima up and escorted him out of the gym. "All right, let's keep playing!"

* * *

Ken sat next to the still figure on the bed, fingers folded in front of his face as his mind ran in anxiety.

Mishima was still knocked out cold, though his nose stopped bleeding by the time the brunette brought him to the nurse's office. The nurse had examined him as soon as he was placed on the bed, and she declared that he would be fine in a few hours.

For the umpteenth time today, Ken let out a deep sigh. It stressed him to no end how such a two-faced, asshole of a teacher was even in Shujin in the first place. Sure, his credentials were stellar, but it didn't compensate the kind of attitude he got. It didn't help that the rumors of him mistreating the volleyball team were circulating, and the brunette knew that deep inside, those rumors were somewhat true.

What was he doing? He's the Head of the Disciplinary Committee and part of the student council—he should be doing something to make the students in Shujin feel safe and secured, even from adults like Kamoshida. _So much for preaching about my justice._

The office door clicked open, interrupting his thoughts. He looked up and blinked in surprise when he saw it was Reina. There was a concerned look on her face as she walked up to the bed. "How is he?" She asked quietly.

"Not that good. The nurse said he'd be fine in a few hours, but…" He trailed off and shook his head. "Mishima Yuki had been part of the volleyball team since last year apparently. And if those rumors were true, he might not make it out much longer there." He said, before the corners of his mouth twitched. "I didn't know you were close to Mishima."

Reina shook her head and sat next to the brunette, who scooted over a bit to give her some space. "I'm not. He's from Amamiya-san's class, last I've heard. I'm just really concerned because as far as I could tell, that spike to his face was intentional."

The black-haired teen turned to face Ken, coppery eyes meeting light brown ones. "Do you know him well?"

"Nah, he's a year younger than me," Ken replied. "But I'm the Head of the Disciplinary Committee, and it's kinda my job to make sure everyone here's safe, or at least feeling safe. And… this might sound kind of patronizing, but he doesn't deserve this kind of treatment." He lowered his gaze a bit. "It's like watching someone kick baby animals for fun."

Reina cracked a grin, but it didn't reach her eyes. The silence between them was heavy, and neither could blame the other for that. The only sounds heard between them were their own breathing, as well as Mishima's blocked nasal passages.

Eventually, Mishima stirred. The groans made by the bedridden volleyball player caused two pairs of eyes to snap their attention towards him. His dark brown eyes slid open and slowly blinked to gain clarity of his surroundings.

Ken breathed a sigh of relief. "Mishima-san, thank goodness you're awake."

"Amada-senpai...?" The volleyball player breathed out, still disoriented. Shakily, he pushed his arms up so he could sit upright, before holding his head and wincing as it throbbed painfully under his palm. "What happened?"

"You got knocked out during the volleyball match," Reina answered as she keenly observed Mishima. She just wanted to make sure he's alright. "How are you feeling, Mishima-san?"

"Huh? Who are you?" Mishima exclaimed in surprise, before groaning and holding his head in pain once again.

Ken grabbed the painkillers and the glass of water located on the side table, handing them over to the blue-haired teen. "This should probably help you," he offered. "And just so you know, she's the other transfer student—Shiomi Reina."

"Oh! I-I know that…" Mishima took the items gingerly from Ken and drank down the painkillers in one gulp. He exhaled, placing the cup back onto the side table. "... Why are you here, Amada-senpai?"

"You think I wouldn't be concerned with what just happened out there? I must be an idiot to be that apathetic," Ken said flatly. "Besides, it's part of my job in the Disciplinary Committee to help out. And it's not like I don't know about those bruises you gained."

At the mention of it, Mishima flinched and gripped his blanket. "W-What bruises? What are you talking about, senpai? I only got hurt because I wasn't paying attention..."

"That's one too many bruises to cross it out as an accident, Mishima-san. Really, what's going on?" Ken countered, the concern starting to pool out in his eyes. "Are the rumors true?"

"What rumors? I—"

"Mishima-san," Reina spoke quietly, but it was enough to draw the attention to her. "Is Kamoshida-sensei abusing you and the volleyball team?"

Dark brown eyes widened at the speculation and he waved his hands frantically in objection. "No! No, nothing's wrong! Why would he even do that to his prized team? He isn't…" Mishima stammered, then stopped. He clenched his fists, and scowled. "What's it to you, anyway?"

Reina frowned, slightly taken aback at the sudden hostility he displayed. "I'm just concerned, okay. I'm fairly new here and we're not exactly classmates, but even I could tell that amount of bruises is alarmingly not normal."

Mishima shook his head, albeit jerkily. "I-It's nothing really. I'm just really clumsy, okay? This is just something from volleyball practices."

"Even if you deny it that much, you of all people know that you're lying to yourself about this," Ken said. "Mishima-san, what's really going on? Please, let us help you."

"Stop, okay!" Mishima exclaimed, before slumping in defeat. "What would it matter anyway? Even if it were true, everyone sees us with these injuries and brushes it off. They don't care. He can't get caught, so we're stuck with this until we graduate…"

Then, he scowled. "Besides, what can the student council do to help? You've seen us with these bruises, but you're not even doing anything to help us. What makes this time any different? How can you be so sure you can help us out? It's all lies coming from you guys!"

Reina didn't miss the stricken look coming from her senior's face. She tried to put a comforting hand on her batchmate's shoulder. "Mishima-san, please—"

Mishima flinched and moved jerkily away from her touch, catching Reina off guard. "You're no different either, Shiomi-san!" Then, he put his head in his hands and slumped against the headboard. "Just… leave me alone."

Ken gave the bedridden student a long, hard look before sighing and getting up. "Come on, Shiomi-san. Let's give him some space." He walked out first, nearly missing the surprised look on the girl's face.

Mishima had a point, and he couldn't help but grit his teeth upon realizing it. _I had all the chances to help him and the volleyball team out, but I didn't. Now that he's really rattled in believing anyone could help them, it's going to be hard to save them from this mess. Amada Ken, what makes_ you _any different from the other students anyway?_

* * *

When Mishima was escorted out of the gym after he was knocked unconscious, Ryuji and Ren took this as an opportunity to gather more information from the students about the rumors surrounding Kamoshida. Unfortunately, it didn't go well for them, even when they split up to cover more ground.

Even more so on Ren's part. The fact that the students were either too intimidated by the rumors that surrounded him or too annoyed that they told him off didn't really help his chances.

With a dejected sigh, the frizzy-haired teen decided to make his way to the courtyard, hoping to at least grab some drink from the vending machine before he returned to scouring for at least some slim chance of incriminating material.

When he finally got his drink, he turned and was taken aback when he found himself face to face with Takamaki Ann. She looked pristine, with her blonde, pigtailed hair kept in place and her makeup expertly applied. Her gym clothes only highlighted her curves more, and Ren was acutely aware of their close proximity. He discreetly took a step back.

Ann wasted no time. "Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"What's your deal?" She demanded. "Like, we both know the whole "sick on the first day" thing was a lie."

Ren shrugged. It was true that the events didn't happen that way, but he wasn't going to give her the satisfaction that she was right. "When I got closer to school, I started to feel really bad. I decided to go back home to rest."

"And then you came back in the afternoon? I don't buy that for a second."

"Hey!" The two of them turned and saw Ryuji catching up to them, scowl evident on his face. "What are you grillin' him for?"

"What's it to you?" Ann shot back.

"He's my friend."

"And how did that happen, exactly?"

"What? I can't have friends?"

Ann just scowled, before sighing. "Look, I don't know what you're doing but if you're trying to mess with Kamoshida-sensei, just stop. You're never going to get anywhere and no one's going to tell you anything."

"So, you know something's going on then." Ryuji said, taking a step forward and looking expectantly at the blonde. Unfortunately, Ann refused to meet his gaze. "Just stop, okay?"

Ren didn't stop though. He knew something was off about her. "What's he doing to you?"

This seemed to catch her off guard. "Huh?"

"You know what I mean. What's he doing to you?"

"Th-That's not…" Ann started, but she didn't finish. Instead, she glared at the both of them and yelled. "Just drop it, okay? You guys can't do anything!"

"That's what you think!" Ryuji argued back. "We're gonna bury that bastard. You can defend him all you want, but if you knew half the shit he's doing behind your back, you wouldn't."

"What do you mean "behind my back?""

Ryuji cluck his tongue and turned on his heel. "It's nothing. You wouldn't get it. C'mon, Ren."

Ren followed the blonde, but not before pausing and telling Ann, "You should stay away from him. He's a bad guy."

The duo made their way out of the courtyard. Once they were out of earshot, Ren turned to Ryuji. "How do you two know each other?"

"We went to middle school together," Ryuji explained as they walked back inside the school building. "I guess we were kind of friends. Then we just, y'know, drifted apart."

"I see," Ren nodded. "So, what do we do now? I got nothing out of the students."

"Same with me, but there's someone we could ask though. That kid, Mishima. The one Kamoshida hit in the face. Let's see if we could get him to talk."

" **ATTENTION… ALL MATCHES HAVE CONCLUDED. PLEASE PREPARE TO GO HOME FOR THE DAY."**

Ren bit back a curse and hurried with Ryuji towards the nurse's office, only to discover that Mishima had already left. They made a beeline for the school entrance and found the volleyball player near the snack store, downtrodden and dejected as he made his way for the exit. The thick bandage on his face stuck out even with his head held down.

"Yo, Mishima!" Ryuji called out.

Mishima's head perked up and he turned. Upon seeing the two delinquents, his eyes widened. "S-Sakamoto? And Amamiya too! Uh, what do you guys want?"

"Did Kamoshida give you all those injuries?" Ryuji asked brusquely, taking a quick look at him and remaining oblivious to all the other students around them.

"Huh?" His eyes darted around, looking at the people still in the building, and he shook his head. "Th-They're from practice, okay! I'm just not that good at volleyball…"

Ren stepped forward and lowered his voice. "We know about the abuse."

"Y-You do?"

"Gotcha!" Ryuji said, cracking a grin. But Mishima shook his head in disagreement. "Wait! No, that's not right. Kamoshida-sensei just pushes us because he wants our team to perform well. Our practices are just—"

"Don't give me that crap," Ryuji snapped, interrupting the blue-haired teen. "Kamoshida coached the track team too, remember? I know all about his so-called practices. They're just insane! I don't care how hard you need to get pushed to perform, you're covered in bruises, dude! So is everyone else on your team! That is _not_ normal."

Mishima paled considerably at what the blonde said, and Ren couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He knew that Mishima didn't deserve this kind of treatment he was getting from Kamoshida. "We want to help. We want to stop him from hurting people. Can you help us? Or can you at least tell your parents or the principal what's going on?"

Mishima mumbled something incoherent.

Ryuji was puzzled. "Huh?"

"They already know," the volleyball player said quietly, his eyes glued to the floor. "Our parents, the principal, a lot of the other teachers. They all know about the abuse, but they don't care. So as long as we can use the volleyball team's prestige to get into a good school, they see it as a means to an end."

The bespectacled teen was at loss for words. How could the adults let someone as horrible as Kamoshida get away with a crime like this? _This almost feels like how I was victimized and framed for something I didn't even do._

"That's crazy!" Ryuji yelled out indignantly. "They can't do something like that!"

"Just cut it out, okay?" Mishima glared at them. "I've already got Amada-senpai and Shiomi on my back for this, and you two are no different—" ( _Shiomi-san knows? But how?_ Ren mulled this over, a little perplexed at why his fellow transfer student was onto this too. _Unless…_ ) "—This is how things work here. I don't want what happened to you to happen to me, Sakamoto. And Amamiya…"

He paused, chocolate brown eyes averting away from steel gray orbs. "I don't want to be labeled like you. So, just drop this thing, okay? Leave it alone _and_ leave me alone. Just stop."

* * *

The day was starting to end, and Reina blended in with the rest of the students who were filing out of the school grounds. What Mishima said earlier continued to run in her mind. She tried to understand his position in this, that the idea that Kamoshida's abuse is being overlooked by the parents and teachers alike. These are people who are supposed to protect and defend you, not leave you battered and bruised. And it was sickening to know that this was more than one person's doing. Rather, it was a collective effort of the adults, the ones who are supposed to look out for you. How could you put your trust in these kind of people to help you out in the first place, when they're the ones abusing their capability to care?

(Somehow, the thought itself felt like a faraway memory to her.)

When the black-haired teen made it to the entrance of Shujin, she saw Takamaki Ann just a few steps away from her. Since seeing the blonde beauty being put in an uncomfortable position yesterday, Reina felt the compelling urge to make sure she was okay, even though it was none of her business to do so. It didn't help when she saw how lonely and crushed Ann looked during the rally earlier either.

She noticed Ann talking to another girl though. The girl was pretty in a down-to-earth manner with small features and her black hair pulled into a ponytail. She still seemed to be in her gym clothes, which made it easier for Reina to notice the medical wrap around her leg. Reina also didn't miss how one of her eyes was tinted with a bruise as well.

As the female transferee approached, Ann bade the girl farewell and walked off. When the girl turned in her direction, Reina saw the clear look of worry on her face. Then, she looked up. "Oh. You must be Shiomi-chan, right?"

Reina blinked. She didn't think that she'd be that known around the school just yet (unlike her male counterpart). "Um, yes. That would be me."

The girl smiled a bit and held out her hand. "I'm Suzui Shiho. It's nice to meet you."

She also didn't expect that. "You as well," Reina said as she reached out and shook it in hers. "I didn't think I'd be known that yet… well, unlike Amamiya-san, I guess."

"You'd be surprised at how fast news travels here," Shiho said amusingly, before a downcast look slowly dawned on her face. She bit her lip and looked around, though people didn't seem to pay attention to them. "Um, this may sound weird coming from a stranger, but is Amamiya-kun okay?"

"Huh?"

"It's just that I've heard a lot of rumors about him," she confessed, though she giggled when Reina continued to look puzzled at this piece of information. "I guess you aren't up-to-date with what's been running around here. You see, Amamiya-kun's been branded as a "delinquent" here, what with his supposed crime and all. I just wanted to know if he's doing alright."

"Oh." Reina suddenly felt dumb for not getting what she meant sooner. "Uh, I'm not exactly that close to Amamiya-san, but, uh… I guess he's doing alright? I mean, I've met up with him earlier today and he's fairly an okay person to be around with."

"That's good." Shiho said with a smile. "He didn't seem to be the delinquent type anyway. I had a good friend who had to deal with a lot of rumors last year, so you could say I'm used to that kind of thing. They'll die down eventually, so I hope Amamiya-kun would stay strong 'til then."

Reina nodded. "I'll tell him that. Thanks, Suzui-san."

"Shiho's just fine."

The black-haired teen nodded, before she gestured at the wrapping on the other girl's knee. "Though I should be the one asking you if you're alright?"

Her expression reminded Reina how Ann was confronted by Kamoshida yesterday. "Oh, yes. I'm fine. This was just from volleyball practice, that's all."

"Volleyball practice?" Reina frowned. "That's a little too rough to be from volleyball practice, don't you think?"

Shiho gave her a small smile, though it didn't reach her eyes. "It's nothing to worry about, Shiomi-chan."

Reina couldn't help but feel sad seeing her smile. She remembered what Mishima said, as well as the distant memory that tickled her mind. "I'm sorry."

The smile on the other girl's face seemed more genuine now. "What for?"

"I wanted to help, but how…" Reina trailed off. Shiho and Mishima looked so helpless that she felt so compelled to help them. But what could she even do in the first place?

Shiho didn't respond. Instead, she took a quick look on her watch and bade Reina farewell. "I need to get to practice. Take care, Shiomi-chan. And don't worry, I'll be fine."

Reina watched her leave, and somehow she wasn't so convinced that Shiho would be fine. She wasn't around that long but seeing the two of them this battered, she knew that something was really off here. And not just them, Reina saw some of her other classmates and schoolmates sporting the same bruised look just as they did. How come nobody ever said or even did something about this?

She let out a heavy sigh and stuck her hands in her pockets, her left fingers brushing her cellphone slightly. _What kind of sick institution tolerates this kind of abuse and lets the perpetrator get away with it? This is all too wrong._

Slowly, her hands started to clench in anger. _And what's worse is nobody is doing anything about this. I want to help, but how? They don't deserve this—nobody deserves this!_

There was a loud beep from her cellphone.

Startled by the sudden noise, Reina fished her phone out of her pocket and was surprised to see a bright red logo of an eyeball being displayed on the screen. It was kind of creepy.

Hesitantly, she tapped on it and a search box appeared. " _Enter a name, a location and a keyword._ " The app said in an automated tone.

"What the heck? When did I have this on my phone?" Reina thought aloud, her brows furrowed together as she tapped around the map function a couple of times. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

She pressed the school's location, and it updated with a ping. " _A hit._ "

Something pulsed, and her entire surroundings warped. She wasn't in Shujin anymore.

* * *

 **A/N: Looks like someone got one of the answers of the question right. But which one? Hehe.**

 **Thanks for the love you've given this so far. Tell me more of what you guys think about this!**


	4. Reawakening

**IV: Reawakening**

She knew she wasn't in Shujin anymore.

Then again, she _was_ in Shujin, but at the same time, she wasn't. Her surroundings changed—what was once an orange sunset sky was replaced with an ominous reddish purple hue, and the large building that was once her school was turned into a larger, darker infrastructure that permeated a ghoulish atmosphere around her.

Somehow, the only thing that told her she was still in Shujin was the sign up in the front. However, the looming stone castle that filled in the place of otherwise her school with banners and even sculpted statues of Kamoshida decorating the exterior had churned a sick feeling in her gut. The red stained windows that looked like fresh blood didn't do much to alleviate it either..

There was another beep on her phone, and Reina looked down. _Kamoshida's Palace_ , the marker stated.

 _What the fuck?_

The black-haired teen closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to convince herself that this was all just some crazy dream. _I mean, I've been having a lot of those lately… what makes this any different?_

To her complete disappointment, she was still in the twisted version of Shujin and she almost wanted to scream in frustration. "What the heck is this place?" She breathed, almost afraid to raise her voice. "Is this for real? Did I hit my head somewhere…?"

She knew there was no use wondering around and thinking aloud what was going on (she _knows_ for sure she's going to end up screwed if she stalled her time just standing there), and so Reina took a cautious step forward and forayed into the ominous building. Inside was a little more pleasant compared to its exterior. The red carpet was plush under her black loafers and the marbled floors were so polished she could actually see her own reflection staring back at her. A giant portrait of some faculty she vaguely knew hung on top of the grand staircase, but other than that, the interior itself was devoid of life as well.

Reina didn't quite trust herself to go further without some precautions, and so she took out her closed fan from her pocket. She gave it a twirl and her naginata came to life, resting comfortably in her grip. "At least if I die, someone's going down with me," Reina mused, though she had a sinking feeling _that_ was going to be the most likely outcome of her venture today.

With a deep breath, she turned to her right where one of the doors were open and prayed that she might encounter someone there. _Or someone to at least help me get out of this place._

The door took her to the deeper levels of the castle; with each step descending, she felt more cautious and anxious as she had yet to encounter a living soul in this strange place. Naginata close to her, she opened another door and she faintly heard a continuous echoing sound. _Is that… rushing water?_

She turned round a corner, and she had to resist the urge to gasp loudly when she saw a row of dungeons with a rapid stream of water running in the middle of the corridor. "What am I getting myself into?" She murmured and hesitantly approached the cells. Maybe she could find someone there, but unfortunately there was no one hiding in the cells.

"Hey! What are you doing here?"

Instinctively, Reina gripped her naginata forward and took on a battle stance. She looked around warily, eyes darting from corridor to corridor as she tried to find the source of the voice. Was she just hearing things?

"Down here!"

She looked down and saw… a cat? Or that was what she thought it was. It had a large round head and smaller body with large blue eyes and small cat ears. It seemed to have a black bandana covering half of its face and a black jumpsuit concealing its body sans the paws and feet. A yellow bandana was also wrapped around its neck and a utility belt around its waist. The way it stood itself just fine on its hind legs gave Reina the impression that this was some sort of bipedal creature.

And she thought the castle itself was weird enough.

"Just who are you?" Reina asked, bringing down her naginata and pointing the tip of it towards the cat-like creature. No matter how cute it was, she didn't know whether it could be trusted or not just yet. "Or more like, _what_ are you?"

"H-Hey, lady! Could you put that spear down? I'm not gonna attack you or anything," it spoke nervously, paws raised up when the point of the naginata barely brushed over its body. "Besides, _I_ should be the one asking who you are."

"It's a naginata," Reina snipped, almost like she was used to correcting people what kind of weapon she brought with her. But, she did lower her naginata—only a bit. "I asked first though! I'll answer yours if you answer mine."

"Jeez, you're more of a pushover than blondie," it grumbled as it lowered its paws when the black-haired teen lowered her weapon. "My name's Morgana, and I'm a phantom thief!"

"Uh huh," Reina said, unconvinced. "A talking cat in a weird costume claiming to be some "phantom thief." I really must be dreaming."

"Hey, I'm not a cat! I'm a human!" The cat—Morgana—snapped, seemingly irritated to be called that. "Besides, I answered your question. Now, answer mine!"

The black-haired teen paused for a moment. "I'm Shiomi Reina, and I don't know how I got here in the first place."

"What, really?" Morgana exclaimed, surprised. "I thought frizzy hair and blondie brought you here as backup—I was gonna kick their asses for leaving me behind yesterday!"

Reina didn't know who these "frizzy hair and blondie" Morgana was referring to, but she let it slide. This time, she lowered her naginata. "Well, can you help me out? I really want to get out of here."

Morgana turned a bit and crossed its arms, seemingly pondering on her request. "Well… I supposed I can help you get out of here, as thanks for not slicing me to bits."

"Thanks, Morgana," Reina said with a wry smile. Morgana returned her grin with one of its own, and dashed down the corridor, stopping near the stairs where she took earlier. "This way!"

Reina followed the feline's lead and they took the route leading back to the foyer. They were about to go down another corridor when they heard the sound of clanking metal drawing near from that side of the room. She drew forth her naginata just as Morgana pulled out its scimitar from who knows where.

Two guards in knight-like armor appeared, blocking the entrance of the corridor they were supposed to go in. "Tch, we found the escaped prisoner! And an intruder as well!" One of the guards said, the voice sounding distorted like there were two people speaking at once.

They both raised their spears, but it was at that point that Reina's mind seemed to go into autopilot mode. She raised her naginata to intercept the spears before they were drawn down on them. She heard a yowl of surprise from Morgana, before the cat rushed forward with a smirk and taking down one of the guards with its scimitar. "I'm getting tired of having to run into you guys every single time. Take this!"

With one guard down, Reina took this as an opportunity to push the other guard back before quickly jabbing her naginata straight into it. It disintegrated in a mist of black, and she sighed before relaxing her grip a bit. _Pathetic._

"Wow, you're a natural at this!" Morgana exclaimed with a twinkle of excitement in its large blue eyes. "Just like frizzy hair… you could be an amazing phantom thief at this rate!"

"Uh… thanks?" Reina said, though she knew Morgana was right about one thing. The way she defended herself earlier… it was as natural to her as breathing. As if she was used to cutting down strange creatures at a daily basis, and she didn't even break a sweat. _Okay, what kind of person was I before Shibuya?_

But just as quickly as they took down the guards, more of them appeared, doubled. They didn't have time to react and get into fighting stance when one of them swatted Morgana away with its spear.

"Ack!" Morgana yelped as it ended up skidded across the foyer, body slumped on the ground. It winced and gritted its fangs in pain.

"Morgana!" Reina yelled, but she ended up in the same fate as the feline: one of the guards raised its spear and swung the rear at her, smacking the black-haired teen. She fell down roughly, and her naginata was sent flying across the room.

"Reina!" Morgana gritted. "Ugh, I can't fend them all off… Reina, you have to summon your Persona!"

Reina, at this point, had already sat up, wincing in pain. "My _what_?"

"Your Persona! You probably have one, otherwise you wouldn't be able to make it here in the Palace. You just have to summon and fight with it!"

What was this cat going on about? Thinking about it was making her head hurt a lot. "I don't know how!"

"You have to try!" One of the guards grabbed Morgana by the neck and slammed it against the floor. Raising its other hand, it pointed its spear at the cat. "Enough!" The guard commanded. "King Kamoshida wants any and all intruders dead, including you!"

Morgana was wheezing at this point, but the defiant glare never faltered from its eyes as it scratched the guard's grip with its paws. "Like that's going to happen! I'll never bow down to the likes of him..!"

The guard before her raised its spear, ready to strike it down at her. Reina's eyes went wide as the situation they were in was quickly sinking in her. Was she really going to end up dying here?

Her fingers curled into her palms, knuckles whitening at the hard grip she had on her fists now. She could feel the fear and panic rising in her chest, but the flame of defiance in her was stronger. Was this how she was back then? How pathetic. She might not remember what kind of person she was back then, but Reina knew that she would be laughing at her present self for giving into a miserable state. The situation's bleak but she wasn't going to give in that easily. No, she was going to find a way to help Morgana and get out of this hell of a castle. Even if it meant dying in the process.

Something in her pulsed.

 _You took your time._

Reina gasped as a sharp pain pierced through her skull. She sank to her knees and gripped her head as the pain intensified. _It is just the same as before, having the people dear to you entrenched in adversity. What will you do now, what do you desire the most?_

Who was speaking to her? Reina barely had the time to wonder about when it felt like her mind was torn in half and her body was on fire. The pain she felt was excruciatingly unbearable and she couldn't help but scream and scream in hopes that it would recede.

 _Will you wait for your loved ones to meet their demise in the hands of those who wronged them? Or will you bring wreckage and pull those adversaries down to their knees to let them taste their punishment?_

And suddenly, a collective of scenarios blurred her mind's eye. A kid weeping for the gunned down thug… A young woman with red hair hugging her father's still body with unhinged sobs… A young, baseball-cap wearing man swearing in heartbreak as the redhead in his arms smiled peacefully and didn't stir again… They each struck a chord in Reina's heart, and though she didn't quite remember them, she knew she couldn't let them and the rest of her loved ones suffer the same kind of fate again.

She knew she had to save Morgana first.

 _Let us renew our contract—swear your soul to me and together, we shall bring retribution in death's time!_

"Yes," Reina breathed out. Blue flames flickered across her face, but she felt nothing. Instead, her face felt heavier… like she was wearing a mask. Before she could realize what was going on, she ripped the mask off her face. Blood dripped down as a blast of blue power flared around her. Blue flames engulfed her body, but she felt no pain from it; instead, she felt something sturdy replacing her school uniform, as well as something draping over her head.

Reina felt a familiar surge of power as something materialized behind her.

The being was something that gave chills down her spine. Its head was mechanical, almost like an unfinished skeleton of an automaton, colored white with limbs of the same color as well. It was cloaked in black with red straps around chest and arms and a black-and-gold belt securing around its waist. Metallic coffins were chained to its back and it held a long, serrated sword in one hand. Reina felt like she was looking at a grim warrior seeking death for those who crossed it.

And despite how terrifying the being looked, Reina felt a strange attachment towards it.

With a deafening roar, the being swooped down and laid waste to the guards, penetrating through their armors and into their cores and tearing them apart easily with its sword.

Morgana was released from the guard's grip, and it fell down to the ground for the second time. "Amazing! A new Persona!" The feline exclaimed in awe.

 _ **Thou art I… and I am Thou.**_ The being spoke with a grimness that gave Reina chills. _**I am Thanatos, the harbinger of death. I was born of thee, and I shall wreak havoc by thy side until the ends of time.**_

The being, Thanatos, faded from reality, and Reina exhaled. She clenched her hands, marveling at the new power she had grasped, before it slowly sank in that her hands were gloved. It was only when she looked down did she realize her change in wardrobe.

Her outfit changed from her Shujin uniform to a black and gray high-collared halter top with two red, intersecting belts over her chest and black shorts. Her arms were donned with white bell-like sleeves, and her hands were clothed with fingerless maroon gloves. She also had two strips of gray cloth draping either side of her hips, along with a white holster tied around her waist. Black stockings and gray boots with a hook-like end completed her outfit, along with a red hooded cape around her shoulders and a sterling silver butterfly mask nestled on her face.

Rein was reeling in shock with what happened to her clothes. "What the heck?"

"You awakened your Persona!" Morgana proclaimed gleefully as it scampered over to her.

"Persona?" Reina repeated. The term itself was fairly new to her, but she felt a sense of familiarity saying it out loud. "Like… a mask people wear to hide themselves?"

"Something like that!" Morgana said eagerly, definitely excited and proud to share its knowledge. "Think of it as your inner self rebelling against all those that wrongfully punished you. You rip off that mask you wear in your heart and become your true self that breaks free and fights all those injustices!"

Reina's eyes widened in realization. "Is that so? My true self…" She muttered, turning pensive. Maybe this was the first step to finding out who she really was.

Suddenly, a burst of white light appeared and her extravagant clothes were morphed back into her school uniform. "Whoa!" Reina exclaimed in surprise. "My new clothes are gone! Was this supposed to happen..?" She patted down her body, as if trying to see how it did that.

"You're still probably adjusting to your new powers, so it's normal," Morgana hummed. "Besides, you're the third person I've met who can wield this power. Unlike frizzy hair and blondie, I feel like you're the person who can actually help me out on this!"

Reina gazed at the feline warily. "What are you going on about?"

"Like I said, I'm human… but I'm stuck in this body." Morgana explained, and Reina couldn't help but notice the twinge of sadness in its tone as it talked about it, although it was subtle. "I don't know how I ended up like this, but I know for sure I can get my human self back through the Palaces."

"Okay, _what the heck_ is a Palace?"

Before Morgana could answer, there was a distant sound of metal clanking together and hushed voices. The duo freezed, and realization sank in that the guards were probably on the move right now and looking for the intruders.

"This is the third time already, and it's really getting under my skin," Morgana grumbled with obvious annoyance. Then, it turned to Reina. "I'll explain later, but we need to move or else it'll be off with our heads this time!"

Knowing that she didn't have much of a choice, she nodded and the duo made a break for the corridor. They turned for the room on the left and dived in. Morgana jumped on the bookcase and proceeded to rip off the grate above it. "Here! You can leave the Palace and return to the real world through this."

Reina waved her hands around, as if signaling a break. "Wait, hold up. Before I leave, can you at least tell me where the heck am I? This isn't a dream, right?"

"I'll be damned if this turned out to be a dream," Morgana said. "This is a Palace, a place where one's distorted desires take shape. A Palace is how a distorted person sees a certain location. This may be a school to you, but this is a castle in the ruler's eyes."

"So… this is all cognitive?" Reina wondered. Which person in Shujin would ever view the school as something as horrid as this?

Morgana grinned. "Yes, that's right! You're pretty smart, Reina. Better than that blondie."

She frowned. "You keep mentioning this frizzy hair and blondie fellows, but I have no idea who they are."

The grin on the feline's face fell, and Reina swore she didn't think it was possible to see eyes bulging so wide in surprise until she saw the look on Morgana's face. " _What_? You mean, all this time—you don't know who frizzy hair and blondie are?!"

"It's not like I actually acknowledged knowing who you are talking about," she huffed. "I just got here, okay."

Morgana just hissed and crossed its arms. "Okay, fine. You have a point. Grr, I'm gonna claw those two out after leaving me in the dust yesterday even when they promised to help!"

 _Man, those two guys did a good job pissing Morgana off._ Reina rubbed the back of her neck, watching Morgana fume in anger (probably because it was reliving those memories again). But… what are the chances those two were from Shujin? With how the Palace was a cognition of the school, the chances of "frizzy hair" and "blondie" being a non-Shujin student were nil. How else would they discover this world in the first place?

It's a huge step, considering she virtually knew no one in Shujin, but it's worth the try. "Hey, Morgana, how about this: I'll take you back with me so you could find this "frizzy hair" and "blondie.""

This seemed to surprise the cat. "What? You'd really do that?"

Reina shrugged. "It's worth the try."

"Wow, you really are amazing! Thanks!" Morgana yowled in glee. It was probably the worse course of action it ever thought of because they heard a sturdy, metallic sound clanking nearby. "Yikes, we gotta go now! Hurry!"

She knew this idea was going to bite her back in the ass someday, but she didn't have time to think of possible regrets over it. Reina jumped up the bookcase just as Morgana crawled into the vent. The black-haired teen followed after it, and in a couple of moments, light was shining at the other end, and it wasn't before long they reached the other side of the world.

* * *

Blue. Deep, plush, _velvet blue_.

That was the first thought that came to Reina's mind when she got her bearings straight. Almost everything within her field of vision was colored blue, though the shapes were not clearly defined.

After her little dimension-jumping episode earlier, Reina came home from Shujin immediately. She gave her guardian a quick greeting before hustling over to her room, not giving her guardian the chance to ask why was she bringing a black cat in her schoolbag. She managed to let Morgana settle in her room before crashing straight into her bed, exhaustion tolling heavily on her. She barely paid heed to whatever the cat was yowling on about when sleep came to her quickly. Her rest felt dreamless and undisturbed until, well... this happened.

And this time, Reina _is_ certain this must be a dream.

She blinked a few times, and she could clearly see the shapes taking form now. She was sitting on something rather plush, colored blue like everything else in the room. Above her was a light blue chandelier that gave light to the place and highlighted the blue drapings over the corners of the room. There was also a large clock overhead and an elevator-esque design that seemed to be moving in a constant upward motion.

It was a strange place, but the person before her was even stranger. Standing a little over the side from the small blue table was a young man with platinum blonde hair and eerie golden eyes. He was wearing something akin to a bellboy suit (also colored blue) and holding a massive book in one arm. There seemed to be a flicker of recognition and joy upon seeing her in front of him.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room... Or should I say, welcome back," the young man mused.

 _Velvet Room? Well, it was a fitting name, considering the state of the place..._ Reina felt a little anxious though, seeing that nothing could tickle her memory of the familiar name. She bowed her head towards him. "I-I'm sorry... I think I know you, but I don't remember..."

Disappointment was clear in his eyes, and Reina almost felt bad for not knowing him. Still, he took it to stride and offered her a small, reassuring smile. "Ah yes, that was to be expected. Very well then, allow me to reintroduce myself... My name is Theodore, I am glad to be of your acquaintance again. Unfortunately, my master cannot be here at this moment." He frowned a bit and shifted his gaze away from Reina. "In fact, I should not be contacting you right now..."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Reina asked, confused. Were all her dreams going to be _this_ confusing hereafter?

Theodore's face was grave as he explained to her the gist of what was going on. "The Velvet Room is a place that exists between dreams and reality, mind and matter. Only those who are bounded by a "contract" may enter the room... However, there has been a breach, and the room is under influence of someone far more malevolent and sinister than any entity faced by the previous guests of the Velvet Room. He has taken my master captive, along with the other residents of the room."

"But how?" Reina asked. "I mean, if this so-called Velvet Room is inaccessible, then how am I here?"

Theodore's smile was enigmatic. "This Velvet Room comes from the figment of your memories, the only remnants of the original left untouched and only place where I am capable of crossing. After all, you were a special guest to the Velvet Room, but now your contract with it has expired and you have passed on the power of the Wild Card to your predecessors."

Reina tilted her head wryly. "Why do I get the feeling that you know more than you're letting on?"

"You have always been observant," Theodore let out a small chuckle. "Perhaps, but even if I do, I cannot tell you. We cannot interfere and tell you directly of these things. You must discover those things on your own."

The black-haired teen sighed. "Well, that makes things _easy_. If only I have my memories back..."

Theodore smiled sadly. "I am sorry, but I can tell you this: the answer you are currently pursuing lies in the path taken by the current guest. My master has placed a dangerous gamble on the game played by our foe, but this change in fate may be the key in helping our guest safeguard the very fabric of your reality from potential ruin. You and him have the same power, thus you must help him combat the chains seeking to keep him and his friends down, though how exactly you will do so, you must find out for yourself."

"I don't understand," Reina protested, feeling frustrated and lost. This was similar to the dream she had the other night. "Who is this guest? What am I supposed to be fighting against?"

Theodore looked up at the clock. The hands of it were whirring faster than ever; his golden eyes etched on it was grim and hard. "I do not have much time. I may not see you again until all of this has settled..." He gave Reina a determined smile. "Help our guest, and keep moving forward with your heart as your guide. I have full faith in you to aid in averting this catastrophe. Until we meet again."

With those words, the blue of the elevator-like place became white and everything faded away.

The last thought Reina had was a name that seemed to etch into her mind. _Phantom Thief_ _._

* * *

 **A/N: Finally edited this + an additional scene, ooh. Things are gonna get interesting from here.**

 **Hello, hello. Yes, Thanatos is Reina's Persona. No, it won't be as overpowered as it would be in the game, haha. I'm keeping the stats similar to the Phantom Thieves, so there would be some improvement with the new skillset as well as Reina getting hang of the power (again) as the story goes on. But hey, what do you really think her Arcana would be? Hmm.**

 **Anyway, thoughts? Comments? Constructive criticism? Don't be shy to leave some here!**


	5. The Bargain

**V: The Bargain**

* * *

 **April 14** **th** **, Thursday**

* * *

Reina figured that bringing Morgana to Shujin would be the least of her worries, but she was wrong.

Morgana, in his full feline form, was a force to be reckoned with. While he didn't struggle much when he was inside her schoolbag, he constantly popped his head out to yowl about something related to the Palace (which, until now, Reina still believed it _had_ to be a dream) or complain about how he couldn't breathe because of the stuffiness of being inside the bag. By the time she left her home, Reina already had to come up with paragraphs worth of excuses and convincing to Dr. Takemi, who had heard the cat's mewling from all the way up in the dark-haired teen's room.

(Thank God she couldn't understand any of what Morgana said. At this point, Reina threatened to not help Morgana find the persons he's been looking for and drop him off in the streets instead. Though there wasn't any real bite to her words, it was enough to keep the cat quiet as she walked to the station.)

Other than her concern on how to make sure to not get caught of bringing a cat to Shujin, her walk along the streets of Aoyama-Itchome was frankly peaceful. She didn't bump into Ken or Akira this morning, but she didn't seem to mind. Earphones plugged in, she allowed her music to accompany her as she took her time to make it to the school. The volume was enough for her to manage to make out the conversation of two students who were walking ahead of her.

"Did you see Kamoshida-sensei play yesterday? He was so awesome!" A female student gushed. "I think I might ask for his autograph after school."

"I dunno, that's probably not a good idea…" Her friend replied uneasily. "I hear you shouldn't go near the P.E. office. People say you can hear weird sounds, like screaming even though no one's there…"

"What? That's probably just a rumor spread by the fans to scare off the competition," the female student said, dismissing the concern.

At this point, Reina had pulled her earphones out, stunned at what she had heard.

Morgana peeked out a bit from her schoolbag, seemingly sharing the same sentiment as her. "The prisoners inside the Palace were students in gym wear. Do you think…?"

Reina was unsure of what to reply to the feline's implication, but she had a sinking feeling that everyone in Shujin knew the rumors were true. It's only that they hadn't realized it yet.

During Ushimaru-sensei's lecture, a phone buzzed, signaling an incoming text message. Akira looked up to see if the teacher's gaze was at him. Luckily, his attention was deep into his lecture, and so Akira discreetly looked down at the messages he had gotten.

 _Ryu: So about the witnesses…_

 _Ryu: I was wondering if we could get something outta Takamaki._

 _Aki: Because she's with Kamoshida?_

 _Ryu: No that's not why._

 _Ryu: Just hear me out._

 _Ryu: Obviously we didn't get a thing outta the volleyball team._

 _Ryu: I figured it'd be a good idea to talk to someone who knows them._

 _Ryu: Takamaki's BFFs with a starter. A girl named Suzui._

 _Ryu: I tried to talk to that girl during break, but I got nothing._

 _Ryu: That's why we should have Takamaki talk to her._

 _Aki: I don't think Takamaki likes either of us very much right now._

 _Ryu: Yeah, it'll be hard getting her to help us…_

 _Ryu: Sorry. Lemme see what else I can come up with._

Akira put his phone away and pursed his lips. His attention was no longer in the lecture, and he couldn't help but ponder on finding a way to get a lead out of this. _What could we do?_

"Hey, isn't that the transfer…?"

"You mean the criminal? I hear he has a knife on him!"

"Scary… We shouldn't go near him. I saw him hanging around Sakamoto... Talk about dangerous!"

"I saw Shiomi-san around him, too. You think she's in cahoots with him?"

Akira's mood soured quickly the moment he left the classroom. The gossip around him was ridiculous. Now that he had a record to his name, people around him seemed to make it their past time to come up with all sorts of ludicrous theories about him. He finds them absurd, and although it stings a bit, it wasn't like he could avoid it either. They follow him around like a plague, and all he had to do is just deal with it.

Walking towards the courtyard to meet up with Ryuji, he noticed a girl blocking his path, attention fixated on her phone. She looked pretty beat up, a bruise clearly blooming on her face. Judging from the gym clothes she wore, Akira could only assume she was on the volleyball team.

"Excuse me…" He said quietly.

"… What?" She put her phone away and looked up. "Oh… I'm in the way, aren't I? Sorry…" Akira shook his head immediately, hoping to put her at ease.

Gray eyes flitted to focus on the bruise on her face, concern building up inside him. "Are you alright?" He asked instead. She was obviously injured, but the dead look in her eyes spoke of a deeper wound than the one she's sporting on.

"Huh?" She looked down further as she tugged on her partially rolled up sleeves. "Um, well…" She stammered, before finally looking up to meet his gaze. She tilted her head a bit, studying him. "Hm, you don't look familiar."

Akira noticed the subject change, but he let it slide. "Um, I'm Kurusu Akira."

"That transfer student from Class D?" That was the mildest reaction he'd received yet. Akira nodded. "Um, this might not be any of my business, but don't let the rumors get to you, okay?"

Akira was surprised at the quiet admission but said nothing in reply. She seemed to have noticed his surprise because she continued. "Well, I've helped with a similar situation before… My best friend is often misunderstood too, because of her looks."

She paused. "Ah. Sorry, I didn't mean to drag on like that. Anyway, I have to go to practice… I'll see you around." Giving him a slight bow, she stepped around him and walked away.

He stared after her pensively. For someone who looked so beaten down, she still carried a kind heart. He appreciated her kind words, and this meeting seemed to give him the fuel to find a way to put a stop to the abuses. After all, people like her were a rarity in this world.

By the time Reina made it to the courtyard, it was late in the afternoon. She spotted Ryuji and Akira at the pavilion and they seemed to be deep in their conversation. There were a lot of students in Shujin who could have fit in Morgana's description of a "blondie" and "frizzy hair," but since she didn't really know anyone around, Reina figured it would be worth the shot to try and ask her fellow second years first. Besides, if she got them wrong, she could always ask Ryuji if he knew anyone who could fit the description of someone with blonde or frizzy hair.

Perhaps her first attempt on finding these two people was a fluke because Morgana practically jumped out of her schoolbag the moment he saw the two young men and ran towards them. Surprised at the sudden act, Reina quickly followed him because she knew she had hell to pay if the school found out she brought a _cat_ here.

"I finally found you." Morgana breathed as he approached them. Akira and Ryuji halted in their conversation and looked around, confused.

"You say something?" Ryuji asked, distracted. Akira shook his head. Clearly, they haven't noticed the cat…

Morgana jumped up on the table and yowled, clearly pissed. "Don't think you can get away with not paying me back for helping you!"

"That voice…" Ryuji stared at the cat in front of him in shock. "Is that you, Morgana!?"

"How dare you up and leave me the other day!?" He yelled accusingly.

"The cat's talkin'!" Ryuji exclaimed, hysterical.

Akira just gaped at the whole scene unfolding in front of him. What the heck did he got himself into?

"I am NOT a cat! This is just what happened when I came to this world! It was a lot of trouble finding you two." Morgana hissed, his glare specifically aimed at the blonde.

"You came to our world!? Does that mean you've got a phone?" Ryuji asked, taking a few steps closer to examine the feline. Morgana swatted him away for his trouble.

He turned away from them and started to groom himself. "You don't need one when you're at my level. I did have to get help from Lady Reina when I made my escape though…"

"Lady Reina?" Akira repeated, the name rolling over his tongue. "You mean…" As if confirming his suspicions, he saw the dark-haired teen standing behind Morgana, out of breath from running after the cat. She raised her hand at them, acknowledging their presence.

Ryuji mirrored Akira's shock upon seeing his classmate and pointed a finger at her, exclaiming. "Shiomi? You're in on this, too!?"

"I suppose…" Reina said, fiddling with the hem of her jacket sleeve a bit. "I don't know that much of what's going on, but I do know I couldn't leave Morgana alone to fend off those guards in the castle."

Truth be told, she was surprised to know that Ryuji and Akira were the persons Morgana was looking for. Which meant that they also knew about the Palace and the distortion tied to it in their world. _Which also means they can summon a mask to protect themselves… Persona, like what Morgana said…_

Akira seemed to share the same line of thought with her as he regarded the dark-haired teen with curiosity gleaming in his eyes. "Then this means you can summon a Persona, right?"

Ryuji turned to her, clearly impressed. "That's amazin'! But how the hell did you meet Morgana? How the hell did you get into that castle in the first place!?"

Reina clasped her hands together. "It's a long story, Sakamoto-san… I believe that's another story for another time. Besides…" She narrowed her eyes at them. "I'd like to know what happened that got you to leave Morgana behind? And how did you find that sick version of Shujin? How can you guys manage to summon those "Personas," or whatever you call them?"

"I believe that's another story for another time, Shiomi-san," Akira replied coolly, countering the girl's words back at her. "Besides, we have more pressing things to talk about here."

Reina gauged his words, but she said nothing. Fine, she'll get that story out from him another time. _The fact that they're so involved with this whole Kamoshida business, and that they know about the Palace and Personas… this is too much to be a coincidence._

The blonde glanced at his friend. "You think it's okay for her to be around while we talk about this?"

Akira shrugged. The fact that Reina had found her way to Kamoshida's Castle, managed to summon her own Persona and saved Morgana from whatever mess he had been stuck in when they left him behind seemed to be enough to convince the bespectacled teen to allow her in on their plan. Still, he had his suspicions though. This was too much to be a coincidence. "She has an idea on what's going around here, and she saw what happened in the castle and helped out Morgana… I think she can be trusted."

Ryuji nodded, then he turned back to the cat. "That aside, why can you talk!?" He demanded, still frustrated at seeing Morgana again, albeit in total feline form. "You're a cat!"

"How should I know!?" Morgana countered.

"You still hearin' this too…?" Ryuji turned and looked at Akira. The bespectacled teen turned to his friend with a slightly shocked face. Then, he smirked and pulled his hand out of his pocket. "Meow?"

Reina, who was watching the whole fiasco unfold in front of her, couldn't help but snort at Akira's cat imitation. _For someone with a criminal record, he sure knows how to pick fun at situations like this._

Ryuji didn't seem to share the same sentiment. He was frazzled over this whole thing. "This is no time to be jokin' around!"

Akira's smile dropped, and he turned serious once again. "Sorry. Morgana might be just what we need though."

"You guys are having a rough time of this, hm? I heard you mention something about witnesses." Reina didn't miss the smugness in Morgana's words. _Honestly, that cat…_

"Oh, shuddup." Ryuji grumbled, slumping over further.

"You know, I could tell you a thing or two about what to do about Kamoshida." Morgana said, his brilliant blue eyes turned to Akira. "You were pretty close just a moment ago."

"God, that condescendin' attitude! This thing's gotta be Morgana!" Ryuji huffed, a scowl etched on his face.

Said cat turned to him, insulted at the exclamation. "You were still doubting me!?" Morgana yelled, his voice reverberating through the courtyard.

"Quiet down!" Ryuji hissed, panicked at the loudness of the cat.

"We really have to be looking for a cat in a busy time like this…?"

The three second years and the cat froze and looked out, seeing two teachers walking side by side.

"I just heard a meow somewhere near here. Didn't you hear it?" One teacher said.

"Make sure you check every nook and cranny around." The two teachers moved further down the courtyard, away from where the Persona users were situated.

"Meow…?" Ryuji straightened. "Does that mean only us three can understand what you're sayin'?" His gaze was still on the teachers.

"Looks like it." Morgana shrugged, or did the closest thing to a shrug a cat can do.

"What the hell's goin' on?" The blonde looked away, scratching his head. He gave a moment's thought, then looked back to Morgana. "Anyway, what were you talkin' about earlier… is it for real?"

"You're quite the skeptic for being an idiot," Morgana looked at him in exasperation.

"I don't think this is the best place to continue your conversation." Reina interjected quietly. She only had a vague idea on what they're planning to do, but she knew talking about it here was only going to attract them trouble.

Akira swiped a quick glance at the teachers, then back to Morgana. "We can't have you walking around either though…" He rubbed his chin in thought.

At that moment, Ryuji grabbed Morgana by the scruff, catching the cat off guard. "Here, stick 'im in your bag for now. Should be just small enough to fit!"

His eyes went wide and started to thrash about. Reina wasn't like this when she placed him inside her bag! "How dare you treat me like–"

* * *

The moment they made it to the rooftop, Akira placed his wriggling bag down and unzipped it. A black blur escaped from the confines and stretched his limbs out. "Don't be so rough with me!" Morgana complained, glaring at the boys.

"Enough of that!" Ryuji exclaimed irritably. "You said you know how we can do something about Kamoshida, right?"

Morgana flashed him a grin of his own. "It has to do with what this guy was talking about earlier." He gestured at Akira. "You'll need to attack his castle."

Ryuji scratched his head, confused. "What do you mean?"

Morgana sat down, and this time, his voice was calmer than when he encountered them at the courtyard. "That castle is how Kamoshida views this school. He doesn't realize what happens in there, but it's deeply connected to the depths of his heart. Thus, if the castle disappears, it would naturally impact the real Kamoshida."

"What'd happen?"

Reina tapped a finger to her chin, trying to piece everything together from what she'd known from yesterday's visit to the castle. "A Palace is a manifestation of a person's distorted desires. So, if that castle were no more…"

"… Then his desires would be removed." Akira finished, realization dawning on him as well.

Morgana purred happily. "Precisely!"

"For real!? H-He's gonna turn good!?" Ryuji sputtered, then paused. "But… is that really getting' back at him?"

"Erasing a Palace essentially means forcing the owner to have a change of heart." The cat continued to lecture. "However, even though their warped wants disappear, the crimes they committed remain. Kamoshida will become unable to bear the weight of those crimes, and he'll confess them himself!"

"You for real? That's possible!?"

"Not only will we be able to bring Kamoshida down, but there won't even be a trace of our involvement." Morgana remarked, quite pleased with himself.

"That's amazing!" Ryuji's smile was wide and excited. "You are one incredible cat!"

"True, except for the cat part!" Morgana snipped. He could complain even while he was getting complimented.

"But, how do we get rid of the Palace though?" Reina pondered aloud. As much as this news on how to put a stop to Kamoshida's abuses was music to her ears, she felt like there's still a huge catch to this.

"By stealing the Treasure held within."

The trio shared a look of confusion among themselves. "Stealing…?" Ryuji voiced their sentiments out loud, crossing his legs together.

"I'll tell you more once you agree to go ahead with this. It's my most valuable secret plan, after all." Morgana stood up and stretched. "If you want to help me out, I'll gladly teach you. What's your call?" Morgana peered over at Akira, and Ryuji did the same.

Reina turned to look at him, too. She knew what her answer was, but she wanted to know if she was on the same page with her fellow transferee.

"Our luck's runnin' dry lookin' for witnesses. Guess we have no choice but to go along…" Ryuji trailed off.

Akira nodded in agreement. What Ryuji said was true, and he knew they needed to do this to end the maltreatment happening to their fellow students. "You're right. Let's do it."

"Good." Morgana purred, pleased that they agreed. However, before they could move on, he spoke again. "Oh, right. There's one more thing I should tell you: if we erase a Palace, the person's distorted desires fade... as well as all other desires…"

Ah, there's the catch Reina was waiting for. "What do you mean?"

"If all those yearnings were to vanish, they'd be no different than someone who has to shut down entirely." Suddenly, the atmosphere around them turned tense. Reina didn't quite understand what he meant by "shut down," but the sinking feeling in her stomach told her it was probably the worst state anyone alive could ever be. "They may even die if they're not given proper care, so…"

"They might die!?" Ryuji exclaimed, pissed at this piece of information.

"Will you listen to everything I have to say first!?" Morgana snapped back.

"Would their death be our fault?"

"Aren't you determined enough to face those kinds of risks?"

Ryuji turned to his fellow second years. "Hey… What do you guys think?" He asked, clearly upset.

Reina couldn't blame him, though. She didn't want to kill anyone either.

"We'll have to risk it." Akira said after a long moment of silence. He didn't want to commit murder either (he didn't want to have an _actual_ crime be added to his record, Jesus), but with how everything was escalating so far, he knew they need to do something. This was their only chance to help their fellow students.

"For real!?" Ryuji gasped.

"Sheesh… I come all this way, and this is what I get. It's not like anyone will ever find out." Morgana remarked, rolling his eyes. Reina and Akira frowned at that.

"That's not the point!" Ryuji exclaimed hotly, stomping his foot. "If we just go around secretly doin' whatever we want, we'd be no better than that effin' Kamoshida."

"Isn't this your only option?" Morgana countered. After a moment, the feline shook his head and turned to Reina. "Thanks for taking care of me, Lady Reina. Even if it's only for the night." Then, he turned to the rest of the boys. "I'll come back later. Make sure you've made your decision by then."

With that, the cat ran off, leaving the three teenagers alone on the rooftop.

Reina made her way over a nearby chair and sighed deeply, while Akira walked over and leaned against one of the desks, an unreadable expression on his face. Ryuji crouched, grimacing as he recalled the conversation just now. "Man, we're getting' all worked up for nothing… Dammit!"

Reina didn't know the two boys enough to be aware of all the details of their plan, but she definitely shared the same sentiment as they do in this moment. _I really want to help those abused students, too… But is it really worth it when the price to end their suffering is at the hands of murder? Will this make us better or worse than Kamoshida?_

"I'll try and see if I can figure out another way…" Ryuji said quietly. "C'mon, let's get outta here."

They walked down the stairwell and split, Ryuji going one way and the two Yongen-Jaya residents taking the other path. By the time Akira and Reina made it to the gate, the former's phone buzzed, alerting him of a text message.

 _Ryu: I heard something that got my attention._

 _Ryu: About that Suzui girl._

That message caught his attention. But before he could let Ryuji replied, he quickly typed in a message, remembering that Reina was with him.

 _Aki: Wait, we should let Shiomi-san in. Since she basically knows what's going on._

 _Ryu: Alright._

"Shiomi-san, let's exchange numbers." Akira asked, looking at the female beside him. When he was met with a strange look from her, he patiently continued. "Ryuji has some news, and I figured it'd be a good idea to fill you in the loop. More heads work better, they say."

That was enough to convince Reina, and a moment after exchanging numbers, she was added in a group chat with Ryuji and Akira.

 _Rei: Hey._

 _Ryu: Yo Shiomi!_

 _Ryu: Anyway._

 _Ryu: Looks like rumors are going around about Suzui and Kamoshida._

 _Ryu: If they're true, it's no wonder I couldn't get her to talk._

 _Ryu: Still something about that doesn't seem right._

 _Aki: Do you know something?_

 _Ryu: It's just impossible._

 _Ryu: I've known Takamaki and Suzui since middle school._

 _Ryu: There's just no way Kamoshida's their type, y'know?_

 _Rei: But they're rumors, right? I doubt they're all true._

 _Ryu: You right._

 _Ryu: So... I gotta wonder where those rumors came from._

 _Ryu: Well, whatever. I'll try asking around some more._

 _Rei: Let us know what you find._

"Hey," Akira started, causing Reina to look up from her phone screen for a moment. "Sorry to drag you into this."

She shrugged. "It's fine, Kurusu-san. You guys look like you need all the help you could get." Sure, as much as she wanted that recovering her memories be her top priority now, she knew that somehow deep inside of her, she shouldn't let this pass, too. Besides, something about getting involved with them seemed to tell her she's on the right path, whatever that meant to her.

A beat passed between them, before she told him earnestly, "Despite the reputations you both hold, I admire you two for taking initiative on this."

Her words were enough to quirk a half-smile from her fellow transferee. "Thanks." Then, his expression turned solemn. "They don't deserve this kind of abuse, not when they didn't do anything to deserve this in the first place. To think that the people who we should put our trust on are behind this, and now…"

Reina nodded, agreeing with his remark, but said nothing. The trip home was met with heavy silence, their thoughts drifted to the bargain Morgana left for them.

* * *

Just as Akira and Reina got off Shibuya Station together, they heard a familiar voice yelling nearby. "Will you please give it a rest!? I told you, I'm not feeling up to it…"

They both turned to see Takamaki Ann shouting into her phone. She looked clearly upset. "Wait, what!? That's not what you promised! And you call yourself a teacher!?" Another pause. "This has nothing to do with Shiho! Ah…" She took her phone away from her ear, the person on the other end of the line seeming to have hung up on her. Ann looked at her phone for a moment, then crumpled. She curled into a ball on the ground. "Shiho's… starting position…"

Reina saw how broken the blonde was and wanted to help her, but how? She only heard snippets about Takamaki Ann from her classmates, so it wouldn't feel really right for her as a stranger to butt into the blonde's personal problems.

Akira, on the other hand…

"I'm guessing you're acquainted with Takamaki-san, right?" Reina said, turning to the male beside her. "You should help her. I don't think a stranger's presence would make things better, so I'll head home first."

Akira nodded. "Alright. I'll call you later if I got any info."

* * *

 **A/N: Heeeey. Just so you guys know, I'm not abandoning this fic quite yet. It's been rough in the past few months lately, so I didn't quite find the motivation to really work on this, rip. But hey, I'm back now, and I'll try my best to update as much as I can!**

 **On the side note, this chapter's unbeta-ed so it'll be subject to lots of edits soon probably lmao. Still, let me know what you guys think of it in the reviews section!**


End file.
